


May I?

by nykanyka



Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Bounty Hunters, Canon-Typical Violence, Din questions his creed, F/M, Healing, Luke appears briefly, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Sexual Abuse, Slow Burn, Soft Din, Trauma, badass mando, it will get spicey in later chapters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-18 01:07:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 24,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28734705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nykanyka/pseuds/nykanyka
Summary: ...The impact never came. You carefully raised your eyes, and glanced through the cracks between your fingers.The T-shaped visor stared down at you, and with a weird gentleness he grasped your wrists in his huge, gloved hands, and pulled them away from your face.He stayed silent. You swallowed roughly, and decided that you had to say something.„I- uh, I swear I didn’t hurt anyone!“ you croaked out, and cursed yourself immediately. Way to sound like a wanted criminal. „I promise…“ you sobbed weakly.The visor didn’t move. „Did someone frame you?“[din x reader, no usage of y/n, spicy later on]
Relationships: Din Djarin/Reader
Comments: 45
Kudos: 186





	1. The Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW past sexual abuse (paragraph in italics at the beginning)

Your feet were heavy. 

It wasn’t easy to walk in sand, especially not in the shoes you were wearing. Thin leather shoes that had acquired a number of holes near the sole due to them being your only pair of shoes. Someone like you couldn’t just walk into a store just like that.

The sun was blazing down hot, and a bead of sweat trickled down your neck. It left a dark spot in the sand when it hit the ground. 

How long has it been now? Months? A year? Your thoughts spiraled for a moment before you shook your head, grounding yourself again. You had to keep walking. 

This desert planet had been your refuge for some weeks now. But now….they had found you. You were never safe. A bitter sob left your dry throat. 

_„Heard one of ‚em is in town….bounty hunter…“_

That was all you needed to hear before frantically gathering your few belongings into a stolen leather bag and running, running for your life. You had left the small town of Harean as soon as you could, stumbling blindly into the desert that filled the entire planet. Everything was better than being found. Everything. 

You spotted something in the distance. A formation of rocks, dark against the bright sands. You hurried towards them, slipping and stumbling on the large dunes. Shelter, you thought. A safe place for the night. You reached the rock formation after a few more minutes and found a small nook in the side of the wall. It would shield you from possible sandstorms and unwanted eyes, hopefully. 

You took off your cloak and placed it inside the small hollow, trying to block any sharp edges from hurting you. With your bag safely on your lap, you shimmied backwards into your home for the night and settled down with a huge sigh. It was getting colder. Another sigh escaped your chapped lips. You rummaged through your bag and pulled out a water flask. After taking a sip, you swirl your tongue over your lips to hydrate those as well. An uneasy tiredness was creeping up to you. 

The flask safely stored inside the small leather bag, you leaned your head against the rock wall of the nook. Your eyes closed slowly, a single tear rolling down your cheek. You welcomed sleep. The only time you didn’t have to think. Unless….

_A hand strikes you, again and again. Hot tears dribble down your face, you cry out. Stop it, you cry. Let me go. He doesn’t. He holds you in place, on top of him, and hits you again, with a wicked smile on his face._

__

_„You can’t go anywhere!“ He shouts, visibly pleased with himself. „I’m your only one, forever and ever!“_

__

_You shriek, high and shrill and pained, but he doesn’t stop, instead he goes faster, hits you harder, takes even longer….._

__

_Hours later it’s over. You lie on the floor, tired and hurting. Tears are still running down your face into the wooden planks. He walks up to you and throws a towel at your crumpled from._

__

_„Clean up.“_

__

_You raise your body into a sitting position, it hurts. As you try to clean yourself, he grows impatient. His hand reaches up behind your head, and even though you can’t see it you know it’s there. His big hand grips your hair, and a sharp pain flashes through your head-_

__

You wake with a gasp. 

__

You’re still in the little stone nook, and almost cry out from relief. He isn’t here, you tell your racing heart. He can’t hurt you anymore. 

__

A thud sounds through the night. And another, and another, and- 

__

-footsteps. Your eyes widen. No. No. You gather your bag and cloak, wedge yourself out into the desert, and run. 

__

The footsteps speed up. You’ve been spotted, shit! You turn around and instantly scream. 

__

It’s a man in armor, running after you like a madman, big and strong and terrifying. And only by that one glimpse, you know you’ll be dead by morning.

__

It’s a Mandalorian. 

__

The deadliest of all bounty hunters, the one you call when nobody else succeeded. He wouldn’t believe you…. never. The Mandalorians only care for the credits. 

__

Your feet thump silently over the sand, compared to his full armor rattling loudness. How had you not heard him coming? You curse yourself, over and over. How stupid. It’s freezing, and even though you’re running, your teeth are chattering. Out of fear? Maybe. You just kept running, as fast as you could.

__

In the end, it was a rock that decided the chase. Your soft shoes got caught on a tiny piece of stone underneath the sand. With a soft noise of surprise you tumbled down the dune, unable to get a grip on the sand. 

__

In a single breath the Mandalorian was over you. 

__

He pulled his fist back, seemingly expecting a fight back. You cried out in fear, shielding your eyes and face. Tears streaming down your cheeks again, you briefly thought about how trauma is supposed to harden you. Bullshit. But...

__

...The impact never came. You carefully raised your eyes, and glanced through the cracks between your fingers. 

__

The T-shaped visor stared down at you, and with a weird gentleness he grasped your wrists in his huge, gloved hands, and pulled them away from your face. 

__

He stayed silent. You swallowed roughly, and decided that you had to say something. 

__

„I- uh, I swear I didn’t hurt anyone!“ you croaked out, and cursed yourself immediately. Way to sound like a wanted criminal. „I promise…“ you sobbed weakly. 

__

The visor didn’t move. „Did someone frame you?“

__

His voice was...pleasant. A low baritone, slightly distorted through his helmet, but gentle and with a hint of hidden warmth. You nodded, mouth hanging open. 

__

„Who?“ 

__

The bounty hunter shifted his head ever so slightly, a small tilt to the right. A sob welled up in you. And another. It hurt to think about. 

__

„Some, someone who…, uh, who I thought, loved me.“ you choked out between sobs. The Mandalorians hand moved on your wrist. He was feeling your pulse with his middle and ring finger. 

__

„Say it again.“ he commanded, and with a small hiccup you complied. 

__

„Someone who I, uh, thought who loved me,“ this time it was easier, „put this bounty on me.“ Another sob made you shake underneath the huge man. You had never said it out loud. 

__

The armored man seemed caught off guard. „You’re not lying…“ he said quietly, probably to himself. His head moved half an inch again, this time to the left. 

__

The Mandalorian didn’t pry any further. „You can’t stay here. Let’s go.“

__

He grabbed your arm, and you winced. He pulled you to your feet, and let you go. 

__

„Let’s go?“ you asked in your smallest voice. The helmet nodded. 

__

„To my ship. We’ll talk there.“ 

__

~~~~~~

__

You were still walking. The sun was rising over the dunes in the east, which was the direction you were headed. The Mandalorian hadn’t said a word to you all these hours, just a few grunts and sighs when you needed a break. One time you had offered your flask to him without thinking, and he had just shook his head. 

__

He was impressive. All his armor, probably pure Beskar, didn’t slow him down. You on the other hand trailed behind, needed short stops and water. 

__

Lost in thought, you hadn’t noticed the bounty hunter stopping and walked right into him. He turned around in alarm but relaxed when he looked at you rubbing your forehead, which had collided with his back plating. 

__

„Sorry-„ you gasped.

__

„We’re almost there.“ he said curtly.

__

You followed his line of sight to see a spaceship standing in the valley between two dunes. It seemed old, pre-imperial even and…

__

„It’s a Razor Crest.“ You stated, glad that you had recognized it. 

__

His head tilted towards you curiously. 

__

„You knew that?“ 

__

You felt a familiar cold rush to your stomach when he addressed you directly, and stuttered. „Y-yeah, I used to work with, uhm, pre-imperial ships. Not a Crest yet, but carriers and freight ships.“ 

__

The Mandalorian moved in front of you, blocking the ship from your sight. You swallowed, and took a step back. 

__

„You’re very curious, little bounty. Let’s go.“

__

You followed him down the dune, your heart thumping in your throat. He pressed a button on the Crest‘s side and the ramp came down. 

__

He beckoned you to follow him into the ship. You looked down, grabbed your bag strap hard and moved, one foot at a time, up the ramp. Into the Lions Den. 

__

The Mandalorian closed the ramp behind you. To your horror you found yourself in some kind of cargo bay, but what really did it was the carbonite freezer on the wall, and the rows of frozen creatures. A Twi‘lek with his face contorted in pain stared at you from the closest one. 

__

„Please don’t freeze me…“ You whispered, backing up against the wall. The bounty hunter turned towards you. 

__

„I won’t.“

__

For some reason you believed him. 

__

He motioned for you to follow him into the cockpit. With one hand, the touch making you freeze up, he pushed you into the co-pilot chair. He flicked a few switches before sitting down in the pilot's chair. He swiveled it around to face you. 

__

„Now we talk.“ 

__

~~~~

__

His visor's gaze was piercing. You squirmed under it, unable to form a coherent answer so you looked away. 

__

„My ex-lover, or boyfriend, whatever you call it, did this.“ You had to keep it together.

__

„He was….very toxic, and when I threatened to leave he said he’d put a bounty on me.“

__

The Mandalorians helmet was tilted to the right again. 

__

Tears were brimming at your eyes. Fuck. 

__

„I never believed him,“ you whispered, „but he did it. One night I walked out, and the next morning someone tried to kill me.“ 

__

„It’s been months now, maybe a year. I’ve been on the run.“ You didn’t know what else to say, and the man in front of you was horribly silent. 

__

„Did he love you?“ 

__

His sudden words startled you. A tear slipped down your cheek. 

__

„No.“ You rasped. „He said he only wanted to own me, and never loved me. That’s when I left.“ You managed to stop the eruption until now, but this was too much. The dam broke, and you broke down sobbing. 

__

„Did he hurt you?“ 

__

You almost didn’t catch his question. You nodded. „Every time we….“ you trailed off, talking about your sexual history with a man that tried to kill you a few hours ago was not something you were keen on. So you just nodded, and pulled up your sleeve a little. 

__

A thick, white scar ran from your elbow to your upper wrist. The Mandalorian inhaled sharply, it sounded kind of like static noise. He slowly reached for your arm, and let his hand hover over the scar. 

__

„He did that?“ the man grumbled, and you nodded again, a silent stream of tears running down your face. „A knife.“ You shrugged. „When I...wasn’t willing.“

__

His visor didn’t tell anything about his emotions. The Mandalorians hand was still in the air, ghosting over your scar. You had many more he wouldn’t get to see. At least the tear flow was slowly stopping now, you noticed. Maybe it was good to talk about it sometimes after all.

__

Somehow, a part of you felt warm. This man had listened. He hadn’t harmed you. He seemed...almost worried. Or was he feeling pity? His helmet didn’t give anything away.

__

He cleared his throat, and pulled his hand back. You shivered. 

__

„I want his name, and home planet.“ 

__

The Mandalorian was growling his words, sounding even grittier through the modulator of his helmet.

__

„What?“ you answered, very eloquently. 

__

„Give me his name, and home planet. Now.“ 

__

You stared at him with wide eyes. „Aren’t you going to… turn me in? Or kill me? Freeze me in carbonite?“

__

His chair turned towards you again. 

__

„By now you should have figured that I believe you. Now, give me his name and location.“ 

__

Almost like in a trance you answered. „Aren Cordo, on Serin-2.“ You hadn’t said his name since that day. The Mandalorian turned to his control panel and punched something in. Coordinates. 

__

The ship slowly rose into the air, and pushed through the atmosphere. Your captor seemed to have a well trained routine, so it didn’t take long until the Razor Crest was in hyperspace. 

__

Again he turned to you. 

__

„Did I hurt you?“ His questions were always short. 

__

You blinked twice. „What? When?“

__

He sighed. „When I held you down and almost punched you.“ Was that a hint of sarcasm?

__

You shook your head. „I was just scared. It hurt more when my foot got stuck on that freaking rock.“ 

__

„Let me see.“ The Mandalorian offered. 

__

You hesitated. That was one of the most dangerous men in the parsec. And he was offering to treat your injury? „Why are you so nice to me?“ you finally asked the question that kept nagging you. 

__

His helmet tilted to the right, for the third time. Like a curious dog, you thought, before burying that comparison deep in your mind. A Mandalorian is not a puppy dog. 

__

„I might be a bounty hunter but I’m not cruel.“ The armored man scoffed. „Me chasing you got you hurt, so it’s only fair I patch you up.“ He rose from his chair and rummaged through a chest next to the consoles. He procured a bandage roll and a tub, seemingly filled with some questionable looking salve. 

__

„You need to take your shoe off.“ he said, returning to you and kneeling down on the floor in front of you. He didn’t look as huge and scary like this. You slowly pulled your worn leather slipper off your foot. Two of your middle toes were red and swollen. 

__

„They could be broken.“ The Mandalorian exhaled harshly and then…

__

...his glove hit the metal floor of the ship’s cockpit. He dipped two fingers into the tub of salve, and his helmet tilted up to face you. 

__

„May I?“

__

You could only stare at his hand. It was unmistakably a human hand, of a warm olive colour. He had scars all over it, littering his knuckles and fingers, and a very nasty one on the back. You nodded softly, only half registering that he had actually asked for consent on touching your bare skin. His hand was scarred, this was no monster.

__

At this moment you registered him as purely human for the first time.

__

His fingers touched your toes, and you hissed in pain. Your foot jerked away from his touch. It was worse than you had thought. „Fuck!“ you pressed out between gritted teeth, and earned an apologetic huff from the man in Beskar. 

__

„I know.“ he said, and slowly reached up with his other, still gloved hand to hold your leg in place. But inches before touching you he paused. „May I?“ 

__

He asked for your consent again. This time you really noticed. You nodded again, and he closed his hand around your ankle. He was gentle. The pain was sharp, and you hissed and swore as he softly applied the salve to all the inflamed areas and scrapes. Faintly, you noticed his gloved thumb rubbing small circles into the skin of your ankle. 

__

„Well done.“ The bounty hunter said, and took up the bandage. „Almost finished, hold still.“ There was no hostility in his words. You did as he said, clenching your jaw as he rolled the small fabric strip around the two toes. He looked up to you after securing the bandage in place. 

__

„Don’t put the shoe on.“ he ordered. „If you scrape against it, it will slow the healing process.“ 

__

You nodded. The Mandalorian pulled his leather glove back on. He sat down in the pilot's chair again, facing away from you. 

__

„What’s your name?“ 

__

You told him, and he nodded. „Call me Mando. It’s shorter.“

__

You gave him an affirmative hum, before leaning back in your chair. Your eyes felt droopy. No wonder, you haven’t slept much. This was the safest you’d been in years. The stars were moving over you, like a tunnel. The low hum of the engine let your eyes fall shut. By the time the Mandalorian next turned to check on you, you were fast asleep, legs spread out in a weird angle and head fallen back, snoring very lightly. You didn’t hear his soft, modulated chuckle.

__

For the first time in years, you didn’t have a nightmare.

__


	2. The Revenge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Includes canon-typical violence, and references to past sexual abuse

You woke with a start. It was dark, very dark. Your hands gripped the edges of a leather chair. 

The memories flooded back. The Mandalorian. The ship. He patched you up. You must have fallen asleep. 

Your head whipped around. He was still sitting in his chair, steering the ship. „You awake?“ he said suddenly.

You tensed, and quickly answered. „Yes!“ Mando gave you a low hum. „Hold on, we’re exiting hyperspace.“ 

You quickly grabbed into the soft cushioning of the chair. Exiting hyperspace was a feeling you knew all too well, especially in the cargo section of some old carrier you’d snuck into. One time a box of cargo had knocked you out cold for a moment. 

The ship rumbled and creaked and with a flash the stars stopped leaving streaks overhead, and you found yourself almost lurching forward at the invisible impact. The Mandalorian didn’t budge at all. 

You were looking at a planet you’d hoped to never see again. 

Lush forests, deep lakes and tall mountains, it’s no wonder that Serin-2 is a planet for the rich and mighty, and their People. You remember cold, marble stone floors for a second and shiver involuntarily. As you fly over the planet's surface, more familiar lakes and mountains come into view. Your heart is pounding hard. 

You had never wanted to return. 

Mando steered the Crest onto a clearing very close to your former home. He landed with a soft thump, and rose from his chair. He turned towards you, expression unreadable. 

„You need to come with me, little bounty.“ He stated it like it was the most normal thing. You recoiled into your chair. „I’m never setting foot on that planet again, Mando.“

He seemed taken aback at your bold usage of the name he’d given you. Stepping closer to you, his body language softened up, his head tilting. 

„They need to see you to let me in. If the Client is dead, the bounty on you will be lifted since nobody can pay it anymore. If they think I captured you, they’ll let me in to see him. Only like that it will work.“ 

He was right, you knew it. But you’d sworn yourself….and besides, your toes-

„I’ll carry you.“ 

What?

You stared at the visor blankly. 

„I’ll cuff your hands and carry you, so you won’t have to set foot on the planet's ground again.“ The Mandalorian said it like the most normal thing in the universe. „I know how important a creed can be.“ He tapped the side of his helmet. 

You nodded, ever so slowly. You slipped your shoe back on and rose from the chair. Your bones felt stiff, but you also felt well rested. Mando held out a pair of handcuffs, and your heart started hammering in your chest. Not. Now. You firmly told yourself, and raised your wrists for him to cuff you. 

He fastened the metal and activated their force field, effectively tying you to him by gravity. You swallowed roughly. He then ducked down underneath your arms and hooked his own around your torso. A harsh breath escaped you as Mando lifted you easily, your body bent over his left shoulder. 

„This okay?“ 

You squeaked, a hopefully affirmative noise, and the bounty hunter opened the ramp. He stepped outside into the sunlight, and made his way into town. 

People were staring when you reached the town square. 

_„A Mandalorian…“_

_„Don’t look, honey.“_

_„Isn’t that-“_

„They’ll all be quiet when we walk out of there, covered in his blood.“ 

That had been Mando speaking. You shivered. He really wanted to kill him. For….what he did to you? Or just to lift the bounty? What was his reason?

The Mandalorian stopped. 

„Who are you?“ A higher pitched, male voice asked. 

„Mandalorian.“ Mando said with a gruffer voice than usual. „I have the bounty.“

„Show her face.“ the other male sneered. 

Don’t let me touch ground, you begged silently. Mando let you slide down his front, turning you and- 

-shuffling his feet underneath yours, unnoticed by the guard. Your feet never hit the ground. He grabbed your chin, roughly, and turned it towards the other man. 

A slim faced, greasy haired man stared at you. Oris. Your exe‘s guard. His smelly breath hit your face and you almost gagged. 

„Yup, that’s her alright. I’d recognize that piece of beautiful shit anywhere.“ 

Mando‘s grip on your chin tightened ever so slightly, before loosening up again. 

He hoisted you back onto his shoulder. Oris opened the doors of the villa, and walked inside. Mando followed suit. The guard led him the exact way you’d last ran away on, in the opposite direction, past maid chambers and then the salon, to the conference room. His favorite room. 

The familiar creak of the door brought you to tears. They dropped onto the marble floor beneath Mando‘s feet. A voice you detest more than any other one spoke.

„Finally one that got her. I’m thankful, Mandalorian, for you brought this piece of meat home to its owner.“ 

Oris closed the door behind you. The noise made you tense and shiver, you’d heard it so often before- 

Mando set you down on a chair, your feet finding the stabilizing wood between the legs and resting on it. Not touching the floors. Never. 

The bounty hunter stood beside you, equally as tense. Aren came towards you. 

„My little whore is back, can you believe it. I told her, y‘know.“ He addressed Mando. „I said, little piece of shit, if you leave now and walk through that door, I’ll put a bounty on your head so high that no bounty hunter can resist you. You’ll either wind up dead or back here.“ 

Your tears were falling freely now. You heard Mando‘s gloves crackle next to your head, the leather rubbing together. Aren walked closer and closer, savoring every step. „All because you couldn’t handle me, hm?“ Your abuser stopped in front of you and raised his hand. 

You spat in his face. 

Aren stumbled back, disbelieving and furious. „You fucking c-“

He reached out for you in rage, and you screamed in his face, a curse maybe or no words at all, just your unbridled grief about how he ruined you. 

Beskar armor blocked your vision. 

A loud crack echoed through the room. Aren cried out in pain and madness. 

Mando had stepped in front of you, taking Arens punch to the beskar plate on his chest. He was trembling, walking towards your abuser. Several of the screaming man's fingers seemed broken. He wailed and threw himself at the bounty hunter. 

Aren flew against the wall. He coughed once, twice and blood coated the front of his fine linen shirt. Your wide eyes followed the Mandalorian, who walked, his anger and rage speaking from his armored form, with an unmatched calmness. 

„The bounty-“ Aren hacked and coughed, „-you’ll get more-“

„No amount of credits can take back what you did to her.“ 

His voice was the lowest baritone you’d ever heard it be. You’d only known him for two days, but still. He was furious. On your behalf, that seemed unbelievable, nobody had ever valued you. 

Aren whimpered as the Mandalorian stepped in front of him. „Please, I-“ 

Mando stared down at him, unmoving. 

The doors flew open and Oris burst through, his spear raised. He ran towards you, but before he reached you Mando pointed his arm towards him, and a small thing flew by you and latched onto his chest. A static crackling filled the room and Oris dropped like a ragdoll, his spear cluttering against the tiles. Mando’s gaze had never left Aren. 

With a snip of his fingers, the cuffs opened and fell to the floor. Mando calmly walked towards Orin’s crumpled form, picked up the spear and handed it to you. You took it with shaking hands. The bounty hunter returned to the other man, and picked him up by the shirt. He dragged him until he was right in front of you. 

„Go ahead.“ Mando said, a soft layer to his voice. 

You stared at Arens battered face. He looked at you with defiance, and spat out- „She can’t. She never fought back when I slapped her, punched her, burnt and cut her-“

A heat flared up in you. You raised the spear while the man was still babbling, and drove it forward, deep into his thigh. On the way back out it splattered your legs with fresh blood.

Aren choked on air, and then screamed. A high pitched scream full of terror. The ones you used to scream, right here, in this room. A strange satisfaction filled you, and you dropped the spear. 

Mando tossed the man across the room. He pulled his blaster from the holster and stood over Aren, who had stopped screaming.

„Y‘know…“ he rasped out, blood splattering from his mouth onto Mando’s shoes. „Don’t regret anything. Ack- ...stupid cunt deserved every scar- hrggh-“ 

Mando tensed visibly, even noticeable to you, a few meters across the room. He was shaking. His arm raised, blaster aimed to Aren‘s chest. 

„You are the worst human being I’ve ever met.“ 

Then he pulled the trigger.

~~~~~~

It was over so quickly. Oris was still twitching on the floor. He wasn’t dead, just shocked, you assumed. Mando picked up a bag of credits, probably your bounty. Aren‘s body was laying against the wall. 

The Mandalorian walked back to your chair. „Get on my shoulders.“ He ordered, gentle but sure. You wanted out of here as badly as him. With shaking knees you stood on your chair and climbed onto the bounty hunter’s shoulders. He gently placed a hand on both of your thighs before he rose from his kneeling position. 

You smiled a tiny smile at him. „May I?“ he asked, you’d known he would. You gave him permission and he held onto you and stood up. Ducking down to evade door frames, you made your way through the halls and outside the building. 

The crowd that had formed was split by a Mandalorian and the girl on his shoulders, covered in blood. Whispers filled the air. 

_„Mr Cordo….is he…?“_

_„She wasn’t his bounty?“_

_„Finally Someone did something, I’m glad it was her.“_

No girl would have to suffer under him again. You felt pride well up in you. A smile graced your lips, the second one after months. Mando’s grip on your legs kept you stable and grounded. The walk back to the Razor Crest was quick. 

Inside, Mando set you down in the co-pilot’s chair again before closing the ramp. 

The silence was deafening. 

„Thank you.“ You said after half an eternity. 

The beskar helmet turned towards you. „For what?“

You almost laughed. „For everything, Mando! You took care of Aren, made me able to get closure, everything. Not to mention carrying me twice, and not turning me in.“ 

Mando shifted slightly. The helmet tilt was back, and warmth pooled inside your belly. 

„You showed me that sometimes there’s more to a person than you initially think. I have to thank you.“ 

Your cheeks flushed, and you shrugged. „If you say so?“ 

„I do.“

„That was a rhetorical question.“

„I know.“

A laugh left your lips. It wasn’t loud, but certainly enough to startle you. You stared up at the Mandalorian. „That was the first time I laughed in….forever.“ 

The helmet tilted even further. 

You pointedly looked away. 

„What is your plan now?“ 

You stiffened. „I, uhh…“ You didn’t have one. Mando stared at you, or at least his visor did. You told him. 

He looked off into another direction for a moment, before turning his helmet back to you. 

„You said you’ve worked with pre-imperial tech before. Could you patch up the Crest if something seems off?“ 

You gaped at his question. „I suppose…?“ 

He nodded, before asking- „Are you good with kids?“ 

You didn’t know where this was going at all anymore. „I suppose? I took care of my neighbor's toddler before… before I met Aren.“ 

The bounty hunter nodded. „That’s good enough. I could use someone like that on my crew.“

You gasped, audibly this time. „I can stay. I can stay?“ 

You heard a static noise from his Modulator that sounded almost like a chuckle. „Yes, you can stay, little bounty.“

Was he _teasing_ you? 

„T..thank you.“ you mumbled. He nodded curtly, and turned towards the ship's controls. 

Excitement took over your whole body. You felt downright giddy. 

„Where are we headed?“ 

The Mandalorian turned towards you, the slight tilt in his helmet indicating...a smile? You couldn’t be sure. 

„An Academy. There’s someone I need to pick up.“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! The full word count has breached the 10k words now, and more will follow! I can’t wait to share it with you.


	3. The Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW Panic Attack & some blood

Living with the Mandalorian was...something. 

Some days he would be quite open, for his standards, and even crack a small joke or two. Other days, you didn’t hear him speak one word. It was a double edged blade, and you never knew which edge you were on before you saw him in the morning. 

You slept in a small cot, built into the side of the ship. A couple of woolen blankets kept you warm in the cold hull of the ship. A small storage space next to the cot housed your bag, and your one change of clothes. It wasn’t much. But it was more than you’d had in a long time. 

You didn’t know where he slept. You didn’t even notice him using the small shower most of the time. And true to his creed he’s never taken the helmet off. 

Today was a quiet day, but still something was different. You entered the cockpit, still sleepy and slumped into your seat. Mando didn’t even turn to look at you. 

„Morning…“ you yawned, stretching your legs. Mando’s visor stayed to the front. You sighed. Today was one of those days, huh….

Some days the tension was hardly bearable. Your feelings were betraying you, and of course you’d developed a little crush on your armored savior. The first guy who has ever shown you compassion, and friendliness. But that’s all it was. A little crush. Because of that. You pouted in your chair.

Some days you’d bump into each other in the hull, or on the ladders. The warmth spreading through you would render you speechless, unable to move or think. He’d look at you with that tilted head, and stay like that for minutes. Other days….it was like this. Nothing. 

Stupid Tin Can on his head. Sometimes you wish you knew his face, only to tell his emotions. What was his expression under that beskar? What was going on in his head?

„Hold on. We’re here.“ 

His voice ripped you from your thoughts. You gripped onto the chair and braced for impact. It came, to your absolute horror, a second before you had expected it. 

The force threw you out of your chair. You flew across the cockpit with a choked yell and your upper half landed on something hard, made of metal. Your head was spinning. Please don’t be the console, you begged silently, if I break something he’s gonna kill me-

Slowly you pried your eyes open.

It was not the console.

Instead, you had landed directly in the Mandalorians lap. 

Heat rushed to your face. Your cheek was pressed up against the beskar plating on his thigh, one of your hands was holding the chairs side, the other was on his arm. 

You squeaked, probably embarrassing yourself and pushed yourself backwards. Your back hit the console, thankfully not in a spot where it had buttons. Ouch. 

Mando stared at you. His helmet, once again, didn’t show anything of what he was thinking. 

„I’m sorry, Mando.“ you gasped. „I should have held on tighter, I-”

The man slowly shook his head. „Don’t worry. I should have thought of that. Next time, I’ll hold you in place with my arm.“ 

Good thing your cheeks were already red. From the impact. Yeah. 

You nodded, and slipped back onto your seat. 

Mando seemed to think, and then announced- „Let me try.“

He leaned over, holding out his arm. Reluctantly, you grabbed onto his arm protectors and let him gently push you against the seat. 

„I can still reach the console, good. This will work.“ As soon as he’d confirmed that, he leaned back to his initial position. Your breath was coming fast. Curse his need to help you. Curse him. 

The Razor Crest entered the planet's atmosphere but you hardly noticed anything while trying to calm your racing heart. By the time Mando had landed the ship, all you could see was trees. 

He rose from his chair, and you followed suit. Your toes had almost healed, and you hurried after the bounty hunter as he exited the ship. He didn’t take his sniper with him. Not a job, then. He said we’re here to pick someone up?

A path led the two of you through the trees, winding and small. You stumbled over roots and stones while the Mandalorian seemed as steady as ever. A building came into view behind the trees, uncharacteristically yellow. It almost looked like sandstone, here on a forest planet. 

Suddenly the Mandalorian broke into a run. There was someone in front of the building. He ran towards them, leaving you trailing behind with ease. He was so much more...everything than you. Agile, strong, powerful. 

You jogged after him, and to your sheer disbelief he ran towards a small green creature you had only spotted now, scooped it up into his arms and gave it a hug. Your jaw almost hit the forest floor. What? 

Mando turned around just as you arrived, wheezing and gasping. 

„This is Grogu.“ He had obviously tried to sound serious, but this time his voice gave his happiness away. „He’s my foundling.“ 

You slowly waved at the creature. A small, tiny alien baby, with huge ears and eyes, and green skin. Grogu cooed, sloppily waving back. He was...adorable. 

„Don’t be fooled. He can be a little devil when he wants.“ A new voice had spoken, and you looked up to see a young man. Probably around your age, blond hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a brown robe over some kind of tunic. 

„I’m Luke Skywalker.“ The man said, his voice soft and sweet. „I’m a Jedi Master.“

Your eyes widened. You had only heard stories of the Jedi from before you were born…

Luke Skywalker reached out his hand, and you shook it and told him your name. His presence was almost soothing. Not one bad vibe came from him, and you knew immediately. This man would never hurt anyone innocent. 

„The Mandalorians little foundling is force sensitive.“ Luke continued. „I’ve been training him at this academy. He’s the only student so far.“ 

Mando and the Baby were listening too, now. 

„I need to go on a very urgent mission.“ The Jedi sighed. „Some old Jedi writings, from when the Council was still in action, have turned up on a remote planet, and they’re being guarded. I need to retrieve them.“ 

The Mandalorian stepped closer, now he was standing next to you. The small baby was reaching out to play with a strap of clothing on your shoulder. You let him.

„I cannot leave Grogu here alone. His mind may be far older, but his body is still that of a Child. You can stay here for a few days, but then I’d advise you to leave and just stay in hyperspace as long as you can. I don’t want to risk this place being found.“

Luke seemed to have finished his monologue and smiled. You felt at peace. Mando gave the Jedi an affirmative hum. 

„We will stay for three days. Thank you for the hospitality.“ 

Luke smiled at him. „I have to thank, Mandalorian.“ 

He turned around, and motioned towards the huge wooden doors. 

„I’ll show you around before I go. Come on!“

~~~~~

You were laying on a king sized bed. A bed. King sized. 

Luke had departed shortly in an old X-Wing fighter. His academy was huge, and his smile contagious. The sheets were warm, and smelled of summer. 

A knock on the door startled you. 

The Mandalorian stuck his head inside the room. „You good?“ 

„Yeah!“ you smiled. Something waddled through the space between door and frame. Grogu came into the room, cooing and making other cute noises. He was holding his arms out, like he wanted to be picked up. You shot Mando a quick, questioning glance and he nodded, softly. 

You slipped your arms under the baby's arms and picked him up. He giggled and smiled, and you made noises back. Suddenly, with a cold shiver you were reminded of the Mandalorian in your doorway. He looked a bit stuck there, so you motioned him to come in. 

You sat down at the edge of the bed, and Mando next to you. Grogu was sitting on your lap and playing with another string hanging from your shirt. You smiled. 

„How did you find him?“ you asked the man next to you.

„He was a bounty, like you. I felt bad about turning him in, so I rescued him. I fought to protect him. Then Luke saved us.“ 

You looked down at the green baby. „Seems like you made a habit of getting stuck with former bounties, huh…“

A raspy laugh came from underneath the helmet. The Mandalorian was laughing. It sounded...nice. Genuine. „Seems so, little bounty.“ He replied.

„S...seems so.“ You echoed. Stupid, racing heart. 

„Where is your room?“ you asked, not wanting to sound like a creep but worried you wouldn’t find him in an emergency. 

„One wall to your left.“ Mando said, and pointed to the far wall. 

„I’ll just knock on the wall three times if I need help with an intruder tonight.“ you joked, playfully punching his-

Ouch. Beskar was still insanely hard. 

You could have sworn he was raising one eyebrow at you, even underneath the helmet. 

„Shut up…“ you mumbled. 

„Didn’t say anything.“

„I know.“

~~~~~

Nightfall came fast on this planet. In a matter of minutes, the sky was dark and a moon was hovering in the middle of it. 

You had prepared for bed, and said goodnight to the Mandalorian and the baby. 

It was dark in your room. The shadows seemed to be creeping in on you. Grabbing for you. You shook your head violently, sitting up in bed, willing the panic attack to go away. It didn’t. Sobs wracked through your body, shaking you and stealing your air. You saw Aren’s face in from front of you, sneering. _Deserved it._ No, shut up. You’re dead. Leave me be. 

It was only getting worse. A tight feeling of impending doom overcame you, and before you knew it your shaky legs had carried you towards the far wall. The one Mando was sleeping behind. You were sobbing loudly, almost wailing now. 

You raised your hand towards the wall, and-

-the door flung open. A fully dressed Mandalorian crashed into the room, blaster in hand and looking around wildly. He spotted you, and rushed to your side, raising his hands in front of him, like with a scared animal. 

„Are you hurt? What happened?“ His modulated voice was laced with worry. 

You shook your head, trying to speak over the sobs shaking you. 

„Panic….attack.“ you managed to press out. The bounty hunter seemed a bit lost at that. He had probably expected an attacker. Slowly he put his blaster away. He shifted until he was fully facing you, and opened his arms, clearly unsure.

„May I?“ 

You let yourself fall forward into his arms. He was warm, despite all the metal on his frame. One of his hands steadied your back, the other one slowly came up to the back of your head, gently holding it against his chestplate. You sobbed against the beskar, but now you felt safe. Aren was dead, Mando made sure of that. He would protect you. 

You looked up at the T-shaped visor with blurry eyes. „Will you protect me?“ you asked, voice impossibly small. 

„Yes.“ Mando replied without missing a beat. „I will.“ 

You felt a relief you’d never felt before, but some things still worried you.

„Why do you, sometimes, never talk to me?“ you asked.

„I’m sorry.“ Mando said quietly. „I am not used to traveling with company. I forget, and sometimes I have…. a grumpy day. I didn’t mean to hurt you.“ 

You decided that’s good enough. You were drowsy, but the thought of sleeping alone in this room scared you. You voiced your worries to Mando. 

He said nothing, instead he helped you up, guided you through the door and into his room. His bed was even bigger than yours. He sat you down on the edge of it. „If you want to, I can sleep on the floor.“ he said, and you shook your head at that. 

„This bed is like a whole room.“ 

He nodded after a moment, and walked around it, settling on the other side. He lied down in full armor. You lied down too. With a whispered Thank you. you fell asleep. 

~~~~~~

Three days can pass quickly. Three nights in Mando’s bed. Three days in a warm and friendly place. You kind of felt sad as you boarded the Razor Crest again, holding the baby as Mando filled the fuel tank. 

Grogu was a joy. He was bright, sweet and a little mischievous. And Mando was so incredibly soft with him, it made your heart ache. 

„I’ll have to take on some small jobs.“ Mando stated as you all sat down in the cockpit. You understood. Money doesn’t grow on trees, after all. You made the jump into hyperspace in silence. 

„Can you look after Grogu while I’m out?“ Mando asked, and you smiled down at the child.

„Of course.“ 

The planet was close. After two hours you pulled out of hyperspace, with Mando securing you in your seat as promised. Two slow minutes of flushed cheeks later, you landed on the planet’s surface. 

Two slow days later he returned, dragging an unconscious alien with him. 

For a long time, things were like this. You wished you could say you and Mando grew closer, you really did. But while you felt closer to him, ever since the panic attack incident, he had never shown any similar feelings. Nothing, all those months in space. 

It became a cycle. A new planet, a new bounty, two days at maximum for you and the kid alone, and he returns. Then a few weeks in hyperspace until fuel or credits run out. It keeps going. 

Until it doesn’t. 

One time he didn’t come back. 

The job was to catch or kill some bandits and find the expensive jewellery they stole on Corusant. You flew out to a forest planet, small and peaceful, which served as their hideout. Mando had said he’d only need a day. He left at dawn.

As time passed slowly, your anxiety skyrocketed, nerves blank and agitated. The next morning you woke with an uneasy feeling. But okay, he needs two days sometimes, fine. Situation misjudged. That’s acceptable. He’s fine. 

Three days, something must be wrong, but you trusted him. You really did. He’d figure it out. 

On the morning of the fourth day you couldn’t handle it anymore. You grabbed a spare blaster, sitting in your palm way too heavy. Grogu was still asleep. You placed a few rations for him on the small desk he ate at. 

With a hiss, the ramp of the Crest lowered. Slowly you stepped into the sunlight. 

You were alone. For the first time in months. 

It was scary, alone. But you had to. Even if he didn't say much, even if he didn’t even really like you after all….the Mandalorian and his green Baby had become your family. Even if he didn’t care about you the way you cared about him. You cared. More than a little crush. 

You grabbed the blaster tight and moved into the unknown forest. 

Your Mandalorians footsteps were not hard to track here. The ground of this planet was a harsh sand and earth mixture, and due to no wind the tracks were as fresh as yours. You got lucky with this, otherwise you wouldn’t have been able to track him. You followed them for hours on end…. until you found a clearing. 

Small, dirty white tents were pitched between the weirdly purple trees. You heard voices, and ducked behind a few spiky bushes. Carefully, you moved closer, until you could peek between the tents, into the clearing‘s center. 

The Bandits seemed to be arguing. You didn’t understand their language. They were everywhere, probably over a dozen Bandits, and in their middle, chained to a chair- 

Mando. Your heart jumped painfully. He seemed hardly conscious, and wounded. Blood dripped down his beskar-clad legs. His head swung from one side to the other, the chin area of his helmet resting on his chestplate. Something deep inside you ached. The blaster in your hand seemed even heavier. 

You hesitated not one second. 

Your first shot didn’t hit. It knocked a mug over, but your second shot struck. A bandit fell to the ground, writhing in pain. You pulled the trigger a third time. And another body hit the ground with a dull thud. The rest of your shots didn’t hit, but you had achieved your goal.

You saw Mando’s head jerk up, and he took advantage of the distraction you’d caused. He used his chair to knock someone over, and freed himself at record speed. He grabbed a sword from the first bandit you’d killed.

Within moments every single one of the bandits was dead, the bounty hunter had cut them all down like blades of grass on a meadow. And then Mando came barreling towards you. 

You dropped the blaster and fell backwards. „Mando, it’s me!“ you screamed, scared he’d think you’re one of the bandits. He stopped less than a meter in front of you. Unmoving for a few seconds, he just stared at you. 

Then he whispered your name, voice broken and raw. „What are you…“

You stood up, facing him. „You didn’t come back. So I came for you.“ 

Mando shook his head. „No...you shouldn’t be here, I’m so sorry you worried.“ 

He reached out for you, holding your face cupped in his hands. You grabbed his elbows, trying to calm him down. Slowly walking backwards, you led him away from the dead bandits and the blood. Behind a few bushes, you both dropped to your knees. Mando’s hands were still cradling your face. 

Your heart was racing, and the Mandalorian was still gasping for air. It sounded raspy through his Modulator.

„Why did you do this?“ He asked, voice breaking in the middle of his sentence. 

You stared at him with wide eyes. „I care. About you, I mean.“ You weren’t sure what he wanted to hear. „You’re family to me.“

A sob. Modulated and deep. And another. 

Mando was crying. Crying. Your eyes widened in panic. „Mando!“

„Close your eyes.“ He rasped. „Please-“ 

You quickly complied, unsure of what was going on. You heard a hissing noise, and something dropped to the ground. It dawned on you. „No-“

He hugged you. You felt soft hair on your cheek, warm skin and stubble. Mando’s body was shaking with sobs, and you let him cry on your shoulder, just like he’d done with you at the academy, all those months ago. 

„Thank you.“ He muttered. His voice was even prettier without the Modulator, you noted. You tried to comfort him, humming softly. Like you always did when the Child didn’t want to fall asleep. 

„What for?“

„Nobody has ever called me family.“ He took a deep breath. Your eyes were still closed. „I apologize for making you feel like I don’t care, I do. Care. I’m just...scared.“ 

You nodded against him. „Of what?“ 

„I was told I can never fall in love.“ You took a sharp inhale at his words. „And to never make friends. It would get in the way of my work. Make me soft. I can’t care about people. I need to be harsh. But I don’t want to be. I want to care.“

Your eyes filled with tears too. 

„I pushed you away for that reason, and that was foolish. I’m sorry.“ His voice sounded exhausted now.

Mando moved beside you. One of his arms left your back. Was he wiping his tears? Who knew. He kept holding you, that was all that mattered.

„Then don’t push me away anymore.“ you suggested gently, hopefully. 

He said nothing, for a long painful moment. Then…

„May I?“ 

You sobbed quietly. „Yes, Mando. You may.“ And he rested his forehead in the crook of your neck. 

„I’ll need time.“ he mumbled. You assured him to take all the time he needed. You had needed time too, after all. And you had time. All the time in the universe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter! I think it's my favourite so far...


	4. The Name

The walk back to the Crest was quiet. Mando had pulled his helmet back on, the familiar modulator coating his voice again. For a moment you lamented the loss of his pure, unfiltered voice before remembering why he does it. It’s The Way. 

The ramp lowered to reveal the baby, waddling up to you. Grogu grumbled and whined, until Mando picked him up and gently flicked his huge ears. 

„Miss me?” He chuckled, and Grogu cooed happily. You smiled at the pair. Mando looked at you, and tilted his head to the right. By now, you were at least 85% sure that was his way of smiling, with the helmet on. Makes you wonder about the times when he did that before….

Your gaze flickered to his bloodied pants and beskar plates.

„You need some bandages, and new pants." You decided, and grabbed the wriggling Grogu from his adoptive dad's hands. You placed him in his floating crib, and faced the bounty hunter again. 

„Let me return the favor." You placed your hands on your hips. „When you found me, you patched my broken-" 

„We still don't know if they were."

„-my broken toes, you patched them up and now I'll return the favor." You finished your sentence, stubborn worry lacing your voice. 

Mando sighed softly. 

„The cut is on my thigh, near my hip. I can do it myself." 

Heat rushed to your face. But oh, you were stubborn. You puffed out your chest. 

„I can do it." 

The helmet stared you down, for a good minute. Neither of you budged. Then Mando sighed. 

He unclasped his leg protectors and placed them on the floor. You almost took a step back in surprise. Almost. But when he grabbed the waistband of his pants, you averted your eyes. It was polite, you told yourself. Not because you were embarrassed. 

Mando sat down on a cargo crate, and clicked his tongue. Now he was really messing with you, you couldn't believe it. You whipped your head towards him, and froze. 

The Mandalorian wore boxer briefs. 

In fact, his lower half was clad in only boxer briefs. 

He was sitting on the crate, his legs spread apart and his helmet, you cursed him, tilted slightly to the right. He was enjoying this.

Then you spotted the wound, a nasty cut across his upper thigh, right where his boxers ended. Your focus shifted, and you grabbed the salve and a bandage. You knelt down in front of him. Two of your fingers dipped in the salve, you glanced up at his unmoving visor. 

„May I?" 

A soft gasp left his helmet. Caught off guard, you silently cheered. You had caught the great Mandalorian off guard! 

When he replied, his voice was warm as honey. „Yes, please." 

A shiver ran up your spine. You wondered what he'd sound like...NO. Focus, girl. Focus.

You applied the salve to his wound, just as he had shown you to do. In case you hurt yourself while he wasn't around. He made a choked noise, distorted by the modulator. 

„Sorry." You whispered. You finished up quickly, bandaging his leg up after he rose to his feet. Mando exhaled harshly. 

„Thanks, little bounty." 

You laughed. „Still with that name?" He shrugged. You shook your head. All your previous nicknames had been insults, so Little Bounty wasn't too bad. 

A startled gasp made you jump. Had you said that out loud?

„Just for that, I'd kill him again if I could." 

His low voice made something in your stomach coil pleasantly. He was protecting you. You smiled gently. 

„I know." 

Mando relaxed visibly. He was pulling his leather pants back on, but left the protectors off. You opened the door to the quarters again, and a mumbling Grogu came floating out in his crib. 

„We need rations." You stated, like you hadn't just seen the deadliest man in the parsec in only his underwear. 

„Yaril has a pretty good market, and it should be safe." Mando replied, like he hadn't just shown you more than he himself had probably bargained for. 

„Gwooh." Grogu added, visibly pleased with his statement supporting this obviously very important conversation. 

Mando started the ship while you fed the Child his ration. 

Yaril was another desert planet, but it was a densely populated one, unlike Tatooine or the smaller one you hid on when Mando found you. Yaril was a hotspot for everyone looking to sell or buy. Not one for trouble. 

A safe flight was ahead of you. You crawled into your cot, sleep finding you instantly. The Child was sleeping in his floating egg, and Mando was in the cockpit. Family, you thought. Then you slipped into the peace of a dreamless sleep. 

~~~~~

A rough shake woke you. The ship wasn't flying anymore. It seemed to be resting on the ground, had you reached Yaril? You quickly got dressed, and as you opened the door you stood face to face with Mando. Well, face to visor. 

It looked like he had been about to knock on your door, his hand was raised in a loose fist. He inhaled, louder than usual. „We're here. You slept through leaving hyperspace." 

You gasped. „No!" Mando chuckled dryly. „Yes." You scoffed. Missed your chance to be held in place-

„Next time I'll hold you again." Mando teased. What had happened to the withdrawn and quiet man of a few days ago? You gaped at him. 

„That's not what I was thinking." You replied, hoping your face wouldn't betray you. The bounty hunter chuckled lowly. He seemed to read you like an open book. You pulled up your cloak, pointedly not looking at his reflective helmet. 

The ramp lowered, and you walked outside. 

It was a long shopping trip. With Grogu sleeping safely in his closed pod, you had all the time you needed. 

New shoes were at the top of your list. When you returned to the Crest, you had two pairs. And a new cloak. Two sets of clothes, one light and one warm. And who had insisted you buy all this? The Mandalorian bounty hunter who had bought exactly one item besides his fuel and rations. He had bought a purple fruit. 

You shook your head as you stored your new items in the small panel in the wall. 

„Where to now?" You asked the man, who was petting the green baby's head. 

Mando looked up. 

„Where do you want to go?" 

You stopped in your tracks. Where...you wanted to go? You had never thought…

For a good two minutes you stood in silence. 

„Naboo." 

Mando tilted his head to the left. „What?"

You turned to face him. 

„My mother used to tell me stories of that planet. She was born there. She said it's the most beautiful of all the planets she had seen. I'd like to...go there. With you." You quickly added. 

Mando was unreadable. He didn't move for several seconds, then he abruptly turned and hurried to the cockpit. You followed after him. 

By the time you reached the top of the ladder, Mando was already punching in some coordinates. 

„Mando, what-" 

„Buckle up, little bounty. We're headed to Naboo."

The Razor Crest rose into the air. You almost fell face first into your seat as the ship left the forests behind and breached the atmosphere. „You’re kidding!“ 

The bounty hunter tilted his head to the right. „Why would I be? You said Naboo, so Naboo it is.“ 

You laughed. This man was insane. Settled into your chair, you prepared for a long trip across the galaxy. 

Naboo was far away. But three weeks in the crest passed like no time at all, especially now that Mando was opening up to you more. It wasn’t very obvious if you hadn’t known him before, but all the small gestures and feathery touches meant the world to you. Helping you down the ladder, letting his touch linger for a breath too long. 

Your feelings were jumbled, to say the least. Your crush on Mando had steadily grown, aided by his kindness and help. It had already been big before the Bandit incident. But now you felt like you were going to burst. 

The night before you reached Naboo, you had fallen asleep in your chair, next to Mando in the cockpit. You woke up in the morning with his cloak draped over you, some of the torn fibers tickling your nose. 

„You were shivering in your beauty sleep, princess.“ 

Heat pooled inside your belly. Princess? 

„Thank you…“ you manage to stutter, cheeks flushed. He was so caring. 

Mando made some adjustments to the course and cleared his throat. „Leaving hyperspace.“ His arm was already in front of you. You held on tight, and with a rumble and shake you were above Naboo. 

Suddenly a hand covered your eyes. 

„Don’t look. I want to pick a nice spot for you.“ 

You swallowed roughly and nodded, keeping your eyes closed. You felt the ship swivel and move, probably darting across the planet's surface. A soft rumble told you that the Mandalorian was preparing to land. One handed. Switches flicked and then, with a soft thump, you stood still. 

„Keep them closed.“ Mando commanded. He pulled you up from your seat and wrapped an arm around your shoulders, guiding you to the ladder. His beskar was cold against your bare skin, the thin new shirt hardly stretching over your shoulders. 

Somehow you both reached the bottom of the ladder, and he continued guiding you across the Crest‘s hull. A familiar hiss told you the ramp was lowering. Mando led you roughly to the middle of it. 

„Open your eyes.“ 

You blinked against the harsh sunlight. Everything was bright, and your eyes needed a moment to adjust. But then…

A lush meadow spread out in front of you. In the middle of it sat a small, blue lake. You were at a loss for words. Weird, huge creatures that reminded you of Sand-Yaks grazed on the grass. The sky looked almost like it was coated in pastel paint. You had never seen a more beautiful planet than this. 

Tears were streaming down your face and Mando hurried to your side. 

„Are you alright? What’s wrong?“

„Nothing.“ you sniffled. „It’s amazing here, thank you.“ You turned towards him with a bright, teary smile. 

Mando followed you into the meadow. You walked around for a while before laying down on the soft, long grass. 

The clouds passed over you. 

„I like you.“

You blinked. Slowly you turned to your side. Mando was laying down next to you, head propped up on his hand. 

„What?“ you asked. 

The bounty hunter rose to a sitting position, cross legged on the grass. 

„I like you.“ he repeated, voice rough and gravelly. 

Your thoughts spiraled. You didn’t know what to say. You didn’t even know how he meant that. Did he mean as a friend? As family? As more…?

A choked noise ripped you from your thoughts. You had spoken out loud again. 

Mando was coughing, hand held up to where his mouth probably is. Silly. 

He composed himself with a deep breath. „That, I can’t say yet.“ 

You nodded slowly, urging him to elaborate. 

„I feel warm around you.“ Mando carefully said. „You make me laugh, surprise me and I care for you a lot. But I’ve never felt anything like that before, so I don’t know what it means.“ 

You nodded again. „You don’t need to label your feelings, Mando. It’s okay to not know what it means. Hell, I don’t know about mine either.“ 

Mando didn’t move. After a long few seconds, he spoke. „You have feelings for...for…“

He looked like a lost puppy dog. A laugh burst out of you. „I am not the most subtle person in that regard, Mando, I thought you had it figured out by now! I had a crush on you ever since you captured me on that desert planet!“

More choked noises left the Modulator. „Y- you what?“ 

You laughed louder and lightly hit his arm, carefully avoiding the beskar-covered spots. „Why else would I barrel right into a bandit hideout to rescue you?“ 

Mando tilted his head to the right. „Because you’re a nice person?“ 

You giggled. „Because I care for you more than for a random friend, Mando. Yes, I have feelings for you. Stronger feelings. But I don’t need to label them. And you don’t either.“ 

„I like you.“ Mando said again, moving his shoulders forward, and dropping his hands into his lap. „But you don’t know anything about me. I know a lot about you. Isn’t that unfair for you?“

„I don’t care.“ You said immediately. „Your Creed doesn’t bother me as much as it probably should, and I really respect your beliefs.“ 

He sighed, softly, like he was making a decision. 

„Din Djarin.“

What? You stared at him. Your thoughts seemed to be written clearly on your face.

„My name, little bounty. My name is Din Djarin.“

Your heart was doing cartwheels. Din. You whispered. Din. It felt right. A smile spread on your face. „Thank you, Din.“ you said softly, testing the name on your tongue. 

The Mandalorian, _Din_ , tensed and exhaled. „I really have feelings for you.“ he groaned, falling onto his back again. „I like when you say my name.“ 

„Din.“ you cooed, earning a probably unintentionally hard punch to the arm. 

„Ouch!“ you chuckled, rubbing the spot. „You’ll give me a bruise, Din!“

„If you keep calling me that I might give you a different kind of bruise, little bounty.“

Your heartbeat thundered, and heat rushed to your lower area. Fuck. He was too good at pushing your buttons sometimes. But you could fire back now. 

„Sorry, Din.“ you grinned before jumping to your feet and running across the meadow, leaving your Mandalorian behind. You heard him laugh even from the distance, and he followed you at a slower pace. 

He later told you to never use his name in front of anybody else. Only you, him and Grogu were allowed to know. You felt incredibly proud that he chose to share it with you. As you entered the Crest to sleep that evening you felt closer to him than you ever had before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another one! Updates may be a lil slower as I only have one more chapter pre-written now. It’s gonna get exciting soon:)
> 
> As usual you can talk to me on tumblr, at universaurus !


	5. The Attack

A course was set back to the remote forest planet that housed the Jedi Academy. 

Two uneventful bounty jobs after your trip to Naboo, a transmission had reached the Razor Crest. A hologram of Luke Skywalker, happily waving an old parchment scroll, invited you to drop Grogu off with him at the school again. So you had to set your course there.

Din seemed gloomy at the thought that he’d be dropping the kid off. He really cared for the little creature, like an adoptive father. It was endearing.

Din. You smiled. 

It was silly, but you were still giddy when you thought about the trip to Naboo, his halfway-confession and his name. The fact that he also had feelings for you was insane. You wouldn’t have thought in your wildest dreams. Only in your daydreams, maybe.

When you reached the Academy, Luke was already waiting there for you. No wonder, since his old X-Wing travels a lot faster in hyperspace than the equally old Razor Crest. The Jedi welcomed you to stay the night again, and invited you to a dinner with him. 

It was the best food you had eaten in years. 

You left the table stuffed to the brim with the most delicious things you had ever seen. Din hadn’t eaten anything, but Luke promised that he’d bring him his share to the bedroom later. 

You lazed around on your bed, arms and legs spread like a starfish. You heard soft talking from the next room, and high pitched squeaks. You thought of the last time you slept here, or tried to at least before moving to Din‘s room. 

Maybe tonight you wouldn’t have a panic attack again. Knowing Din‘s name made you feel even safer around him. As long as he was nearby, you knew nothing would harm you. 

When nightfall came, you slipped underneath your blankets. Sleep found you soon, with images of a warm voice and golden brown skin of a hand circling through your subconscious mind. It was warm. 

_Bang!_

A loud noise let you shoot upright with a scream. 

Your door had been flung open by Din, fully armored and blaster in his hand. 

„D-Din, wha-“ 

He growled at you through his Modulator. „Trouble. Get dressed, quick!“ 

Suddenly painfully aware of your thin nightgown, you slipped out of the bed. Your bare feet hit the cold tiles. Suddenly blaster shots rang through the night. 

Din had turned around and shot someone dead. You ran up to him and looked at the body in the hallway. Your stomach turned.

A man in beige and brown attire, a helmet had fallen off his head to reveal messy hair. He looked terribly familiar, and a second later you realized. 

He was one of the bandits. The bandits that had managed to wound Din.

Your brain stopped working. A panic spread inside you, rendering you helpless and frozen. 

You hardly noticed the Mandalorian grabbing your bag and slinging it over his shoulder. He grabbed you around the waist and hoisted you over his shoulder. With a rough huff he ran outside the room, stepping over the dead man and sprinting down the hallway. 

Luke stood in the entrance hall, in one arm he was holding Grogu, in the other hand the Jedi had his lightsaber activated and ready. His forehead showed deep wrinkles of worry. The sight ripped you from your trance. 

„What’s happening?“ you screamed, and Din set you down next to Luke. 

„Some of the bastards weren't dead.“ He growled, pushing you in between himself and Luke, facing away from the young Jedi. The lightsaber filled the air with static, electrifying your hair. Luke handed you Grogu. 

Cold fear had a hold of you, and the small green baby grabbed at your nightgown, babbling wildly. You held Grogu close. His warmth helped you a bit. Luke closed his eyes, seemingly scanning the area with his mind. 

„There’s three more men outside those doors.“ The Jedi seemed oddly calm. „We cannot let a single one escape. If this Academy is revealed to the Leftover Imperial Forces, they will destroy it.“ 

You realized just how deadly a Jedi knight could be. Your mothers stories had painted them as keepers of peace who were not afraid to stand their ground. It seems that her stories had not been far from the truth.

Din nodded, you felt his back move against your side. „On the count of three we storm them, I’ll give you cover.“ 

Luke readied himself, and Din stepped next to him. You shook behind them, were they gonna leave you? Unarmed, with a struggling baby? In your fucking frilly white nightgown? 

It seemed so. 

Luke counted down and the two men stormed towards the huge doors. The Mandalorian threw himself against them, shoulder first, and they flung open, then a blink later Luke blocked a red blaster bolt with his green laser blade. The contrast was stark. Screams reached your ears, barked commands and yells. You stared after Din and Luke, eyes wide. 

The two men disappeared into the plaza leading up to the stairs, away from your area of vision. 

Minutes passed. A few blaster shots rang through the night in the first seconds, then silence. It haunted you. Grogu whimpered in your arms, and you soothed him gently. For a seemingly endless time, you stood there, cradling the baby and drifting in and out of your panicked focus. Then-

A noise made you perk up. Footsteps closed in, heavy on the stone steps outside. You held your breath, and froze. No. Nononono. You had to hide Grogu, now. What if that was-

Din pushed the broken door fully open. A shuddery breath left your body, and you dropped to the floor in relief. You barely registered the painful impact on your kneecaps. „Mando!“ you gasped, feeling pure relief. The baby cheered on your lap. 

Luke swiftly followed the bounty hunter back inside, bent down and took the giggling Grogu from your hands. His hands touching yours soothed you. „He always feels so proud when his Dad beats someone up…“ the Jedi Master joked, earning a slight smile from you. His naturally soothing presence was almost as good as that of…..

Din knelt down next to you. His gloved hand rested on your shoulder, heavy. „You okay?“ 

You nodded, unsure if he meant _Are you injured?_ or _Is your trauma catching up to you?_ , so you just assumed it was the first one.

He shook his head. „You’re not.“

Oh. It had been the latter. 

You laughed roughly. „Yeah.“ 

He left it at that., for now.

Luke surveyed the damage. A few broken tiles, the door was unhinged on one side. „They didn’t do much, but you have to leave, now. Those were scouts. The real danger hasn’t been here yet, but they will be if their team doesn’t return. They’re tracking you somehow, lead them away.“ 

Din nodded his head. „We‘ll leave at once. Thank you for the help, Skywalker. Take care of my s-...of Grogu.“ Luke smiled knowingly.

Your Mandalorian turned around and grabbed you by the wrist. Your leather bag was still slung across his body. With a stunning finality he dragged you out of the door, barely giving you time to wave Luke Skywalker a quick goodbye. The Jedi smiled, and bowed his head as you reached the end of the stairs, and with that disappeared from his field of vision. Grogu whined unhappily.

Din pulled you along easily. You stared at the three dead bodies on the ground, littered across the entrance plaza. One had a broken leg. That must have been Din. Another one was missing an arm, but no blood had left the lazer-cauterized wound. 

You left the house behind and soon, the Crest came into sight. Relief flooded you at the sight of your Home. The Mandalorian opened the ramp and ushered you inside. You collapsed on your bunk. 

Suddenly the shock caught up to you. 

A sob escaped you, and then you were crying. You felt sick, and curled up as well as you could in the slim bed. Din hurried past you, into the cockpit. He was frantic, almost slipping down the ladder after missing a step. 

You knew he had to get out of here, but it made you sad that he hadn’t stopped to check on you. Irrational anxious thoughts flooded you, _he doesn’t love me. His feelings have disappeared. He’s sick of my crying, he doesn’t want me anymore._

With a rough jolt the Crest entered hyperspace. Your head slammed into the metal wall. It hurt like hell, and you saw stars for a good minute. Then the pain numbed down, and you felt relief.

Suddenly you faintly noticed a hand on your shoulder, it was shaking you. Someone called your name. Huh. 

You pried your eyes open, and the pain flooded you like a wave. You groaned, swatting at the hands that tried to pull you from the bunk. 

„-listen, stay with me!“ 

Din was gently lowering you onto the floor, brushing your hair out of your forehead. It hurt, there was a spot that his fingers stuck to. „Fuck!“ you gasped, coming back to your surroundings, fully. 

Din was frantically checking your pulse, head lowered away from your face. His gloves were quickly discarded, coated in blood. The bandits blood? Or yours? They ended up somewhere in the hull. His hands felt feverishly warm on your wrist. „Din-...“ you rasped, pain apparent in your voice. 

His head whipped around, and his hands came up to cup your cheeks. „Fuck, you had me so worried. What happened?“ 

You swallowed roughly, trying to find your voice. „Hyperspace….bunk wall.“ 

Din groaned loudly. „I should have remembered, I’m so fucking so-“

You laughed softly. „Stop apologizing, Din, I’m alive. But maybe a bandage would help.“ 

The bounty hunter scoffed, no hardness to his voice. He quickly retrieved the med kit before returning to you on the floor. He quickly patched you up, hands fast and touch feather-light. It still burned when he applied his salve. 

You looked up at his helmet with droopy eyes. In this moment you ached to see his face. You selfishly wanted to be able to see his emotions, be sure of his worry and caring. The helmet seemed so cold, harsh metal that didn’t share anything. 

The T-visor stared back at you, and you sniffled. Stupid feelings. 

The Mandalorian sighed. „Close your eyes.“ 

Not thinking, you complied and let your tired eyes flutter shut. A hissing noise alerted you, familiar but strange. Suddenly something warm pressed against your cheek, and arms snaked around your back, lifting you off the floor. 

Soft skin moved against your heated cheek. Din was holding you close to his body. Hurriedly, you drank in everything new that your skin learned about the Mandalorian. The last time he had done this, you had been more focused on his injuries to really notice anything particular. 

He had facial hair, not much, but slightly scratchy on your skin. His hair was still as soft as you remembered, curling against you. It took all your strength not to look. You would only see his hair, but-

„You can open your eyes again.“ 

Your eyes opened almost automatically, in surprise. Dark brown curls obscured your vision. He has brown hair, you thought. Does he have brown eyes too? „Din…“ you sighed, guilt spreading inside you. „You don’t have to do this for me.“ 

The man laughed, softly moving against you. His laughter was something you’d never get tired of. „You know, I’m able to decide myself, and I wanted to do this.“ 

He sighed heavily, suddenly sounding worried and unsure. „Ever since I met Grogu, I’ve been wondering if my Creed really is the right way. Everyone said it’s a bit much, it’s old fashioned, and other Mandalorians don’t care about it anymore.“ 

You held your breath, nodding. 

„It’s strange. When Grogu was kidnapped by Moff Gideon, I realized that my Creed is not the ultimate thing in life. I don’t owe anyone my allegiance to it besides myself. I took my helmet off two times.“ 

Din was shaking lightly. You softly rubbed circles into his back. 

„I thought that I had overcome my childhood social conventions but lacking a different focus, with Grogu away at the Academy, I kept it up. I stayed among the only Mandalorians who follow the creed.“

You still gently rubbed his back, trying to soothe him. 

„Taking the helmet off scares me. It’s all I ever had. But meeting you….changed everything. I’ve been fighting the urge to show myself to you. I feel strongly for you, dear, and I want to show you. I want to make you feel appreciated. But it’s hard, behind all this armor.“

Tears welled up in your eyes. Your sweet Din was still shaking in your arms, beskar rattling against you. 

„I don’t want to pressure you…“ you mumbled. He laughed, his hoarse voice sending jolts through you. 

„The only one who’s been pressuring me is myself, dear.“ 

_Dear._

„I’m still scared. The helmet is my safe place and I’ll likely keep wearing it, usually. But right now, all I want is to be able to look into your eyes with my own. No visor.“

You felt him push himself up, and he held you at arms length, hands on your shoulders. Instinctively you closed your eyes again. His breath ghosted over your face. „It’s okay.“ Din whispered, just as scared as you were, hands pressing hard into your skin. 

Slowly, you opened your eyes, and faced your Mandalorian.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We’re getting spicey ladies! And dudes. And...everyone. Getting spicey, everyone!


	6. The Beacon

He was both everything you thought he’d be, and completely the opposite. 

The first thing you saw were his eyes. They were brown. A warm, soft, unapologetic brown. Then, the lines and crinkles around them, and his smile. Din was smiling, and it was the most beautiful thing you had ever seen. 

„Hello there.“ he said softly, his voice fitting his appearance perfectly. You shuddered, flinging yourself forward into his arms. It felt weird, almost forbidden to look at his bare face, even if you had his okay to do it. 

„Hey.“ you breathed, nosing at the soft hair curling down his neck. Din jolted at that, and you giggled. How long had it been since someone had been able to do that? 

His breath came fast, he was nervous. Just as you. 

„You’re beautiful.“ you whispered, feeling him tense briefly, again. He stuttered through a surprised laugh. 

You pulled back to look at him again, taking everything in. He really was beautiful. 

A slight red tint was coating his cheekbones. He blushed! You giggled at this detail and continued memorizing and burning his entire face into your brain. 

His eyebrow twitched at your focused face, and a smirk pulled at his mouth. His….very nice mouth. You felt heat rushing to your cheeks. Now that you had drunk in all the innocent things, your brain started to wander. 

What did he look like when…. hm. Would his eyebrows furrow? Would he look at you? You wondered what the rest of his body looked like. Suddenly you really wanted to kiss him. What if you just leaned in now….

Din cleared his throat, calling you back to reality. You blushed furiously. The bounty hunter smiled at you.

„I know it’s a special moment, but I need to get to the cockpit. There’s a whole trail of bandits and imps following our signal somehow.“ 

A cold sensation flooded you. Right. You felt like this moment deserved to endure a whole eternity, but he was right, as usual. You sighed, and grabbed the helmet next to you. 

Gently you slipped it onto his head, watching the warm brown eyes, endearingly crooked nose and probably really soft lips disappear behind the beskar. Din‘s shoulders slumped. He also didn’t like it, you realized. The thought made it easier. 

Right before his mouth was out of sight, he stopped you. His hand grasped yours. Very slowly he brought it up to his lips, and pressed a soft kiss to your knuckles. 

He placed your hand back on your lap, slipped the helmet on fully and rushed into the cockpit.

You sat there for a long while, stunned into silence. 

His lips were even softer than you had imagined. 

~~~~

When you joined him in the cockpit, Din was furiously pushing buttons and flipping switches. He was grumbling softly to himself, the words almost swallowed by the Modulator. „Goddamn Imps...somewhere...has to be…“

You stepped beside him and placed a hand on his pauldron. „No luck?“

Din laughed roughly. „Less luck than a Gungan would have finding his lake on Tatooine.“ 

You chuckled at his joke, well knowing how desperate the situation was. If you left hyperspace, you might be greeted by an Imperial Cruiser or more bandits on their old freight carriers. 

Din sat down, and dropped his helmeted head onto the console with a dull thud. “It’s like they’re following a beacon!” he whined. You had never seen the man at such a loss of what to do, and knowing how his face must be scrunched up under the beskar made it even more painful. 

„Maybe if the tracker isn’t attached to the ship, it could be attached to your armor somewhere? Maybe someone bumped into you...“ you brainstormed, letting your thoughts float. „Or on one of the bounties in carbonite, who let themselves be captured on purpose? Or….hmm…“ 

Suddenly Din jumped to his feet. You jolted in surprise, but before a single breath could leave your mouth he was on you. 

„Din, wha-“

The bounty hunter held you pushed against the wall with his lower arm, and peeled back the fabric of your sleeve with the other hand. Your head hurt, the wound from earlier pulsating wildly. You tried to struggle, completely confused and, quite honestly, scared of the man you’d grown to….

Din trailed his thumb over a nub under your skin. You had forgotten about it, a relic from a time long ago. You whimpered, pushing against the arm on your chest. The Mandalorian growled at you. 

„What the _fuck_ is this?“

You felt coldness seep through your body. He sounded incredibly hostile, like he did when he talked to his bounties. The especially nasty ones. „It’s a population counter from Serin-2! Din, let me go, I’ve had that thing in my wrist since I was like twelve!“

The Mandalorian loosened his grip somewhat, you gasped for air, but he still didn’t let you go. „Where did you get this?“

You squirmed, not wanting to open that uncomfortable can of worms, but his unbreakable resolve told you it was inevitable. Where was the soft man that had shown you his face less than an hour ago? A sob escaped you..

„Me and - my parents were refugees. When they were ….killed, I was left all a-alone and did the only thing I could. I went to the...the sheriff of the next village I found, and they took me to their capital. In order to stay, I became a citizen and had th-this counter implanted. They took me to an orphanage.“

You swallowed, repressed trauma welling back up. Din didn’t move an inch.

„A few years later Aren b-bought me as a maid. Yes, bought me. I must have been maybe 16. He took me in to live with him. Everything seemed fine. But when I turned 18….well, you know what happened then.“ you spat out bitterly.

You looked down, unable to keep the tears from spilling any longer. Did he really think so lowly of you? After all you’d been through together? Anger bubbled up inside you, sudden and hot. 

„I thought you trusted me! Do you really think I’d bring a tracker into this ship on purpose? This dumb thing has been dead for years!“ you screamed at the unmoving beskar, shaking your wrist in his grip, and Din flinched hard. You suddenly felt the overwhelming need to lean against him. You didn’t. 

„I care about you so much…“ you whispered full of hurt, the anger gone as quick as it had come. You felt tired.

Din slowly pushed himself away from you. A choked noise slipped out of his throat. You noticed his hands were trembling. 

„I am so sorry, I- I don’t know what came over me…“ he pressed out, voice I possibly small. You felt bad immediately, reaching out to cup the side of his helmet. Gosh, you were really whipped for this man. 

„I was just so...so… scared, I think. I remembered how Gideon took the Child away from me and...please forgive me, Cyar‘ika, please…“ 

You had a feeling that this was the first time he had ever admitted to feeling scared.

You carefully smiled up at the visor, not even really catching the nickname. „It’s okay. I’m...sure you didn’t mean to. I’m still hurt, I thought you trusted me more.“ His whole body shivered at that. You continued. 

„It’s… it’s nothing we can’t work out though, and just like I need to share more of my p-past, you need to share your trauma with me so I can avoid triggering something like that-“

Din shook his head violently, and grabbed your cold and sweaty hands in his own. „You didn’t do anything, okay? I uh, I remembered that thing from when I felt your pulse, and I freaked out.“ 

You nodded shakily. „Got it. But now we should be rational and figure out if this thing could really be used to track us.“ You gently raised the pair of your intertwined hands where your wrist housed the small metal plate. Din nodded, and slowly led you to the console, hands still holding yours, like he was afraid to break you. 

You scanned over the familiar instruments. „Is there a wireless power connector here?“ Din nodded and pulled open a hidden drawer, revealing just the tool you needed. 

With a soft huff you placed your wrist on the scanner plate, and a small LED beneath your skin started glowing. „I can’t believe it’s still turning on. We had to hold these up at any public building and scan them, to make sure we aren’t stowaways or smugglers.“ you explained.

Din nodded, and together you watched as the software loaded. The screen flackered a little. You read over the protocol. 

„Fuck.“ 

An imperial code source had hacked into your chip. Cold waves of horror washed over you. _LOCATION TRCK ON_. You shuddered and when Din stiffened next to you, you knew he had figured it out too. 

„Get it out of my arm, Din, please, I’m so sorry!“ you cried out and blindly reached for the closest sharp thing you could grab, resting on a nook in the cockpit, a knife. 

„No!“ Din gasped and intercepted you on your way to the blade. He held you upright as tears cascaded down your face. 

„I’m so sorry-“ you gasped and stumbled, incredible guilt eating you up.You had led them here. „-please, I swear I didn’t know, I- I didn’t mean to-“

Din soothed you, his voice calming you easily. „Don’t worry. I’ll get it out. But….it will hurt.“ He seemed unsure. 

Your sobs made you jolt. „I don’t care, take it out! I never wanted to put you in danger Din, but you were right-“

A hand covered your mouth. Din shushed you, gently. The Mandalorian led you down the ladder into the hull. He sat you down on a crate, his sudden dominance rendering you speechless even in this situation. Din gathered the first aid kit, and a small knife. You swallowed hard.

„You don’t have to.“ Din said softly, and you both knew that he was wrong. There was no way around it. Nevertheless you appreciated the gesture.

„Get it over with.“ you pressed out from within gritted teeth, holding out your arm. Din grabbed it, and hovered the knife above your skin. 

„Breathe out, Cyar‘ika.“ he said, and you replied, „If you tell me what that means-aaaargh!“ 

The knife had sliced a line along the tracker. You gasped in pain, Din held onto your wrist with an iron grip so you didn’t pull away. You almost choked on your breath. „Motherfu-“

„It means darling.“

The shock made you forget the knife in your wrist for a second, and Din, the sly bastard, took his chance and pushed the knife in, hooking it under the chip. He didn’t hesitate, and pulled.

You screamed at the top of your lungs. The agony of having the metal that had partly fused to your flesh ripped out was so much you almost passed out. A small clink told Din that the chip had landed somewhere on the metal floor. You heaved, leaning onto him. Blood ran down your hand in a steady flow, tainting your sand-colored tunic in a rusty red. 

Swiftly, the Mandalorian disinfected the cut and wrapped your wrist with a bandage. Your head was tipped back, mouth hanging open, you were barely conscious from the blood loss and shock of it all. As Din looked at you sitting underneath him like that, he cursed his instincts from ever doubting you. He had never wanted to hurt you. He brushed his knuckles over the tracks that tears had left on your soft cheeks. 

You were still gasping and wheezing when he picked you up and softly placed you onto your bunk, draping his own blanket over you.

„The...chip?“ you rasped weakly. Din stroked your hair. „I will toss it into space. Good luck to the imps tailing us, they’ll find nothing.“ 

He took off his helmet. You did a double take. You had completely forgotten that he could just...do that now. Your expression softened. 

He was still so beautiful. 

Din pressed a soft kiss to your forehead, before slipping the beskar back on. 

„Sleep, Cyar’ika. You need it.“ 

You nodded obediently. He was right, as usual. Din turned around and walked towards the door.

Cyar’ika….did it really mean darling? You didn’t know any Mando‘a so he could just as well be playing around and calling you a womp rat, or something else. You sleepily called out after him, and voiced your question. 

His low, gravelly laugh ignited something inside you. You could only imagine his cheeky smile.

„Why would I lie to you, Cyar’ika?“ 

He left the room, clambering up the ladder. You were alone in the dark. Darling… you still felt shaken from his agressiveness earlier, but you knew you'd work through it. You both had your issues after all.

Soon you drifted into a dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're nearing the final stretch! This fic will probably be 10 chapters and over 22k words...


	7. The Trap

„This is impossible!“ Din growled.

For months on end the leftovers of the Imperium had been combing the galaxy for you. Tossing the chip hadn’t been enough. They waited in every corner, every remote system. You needed to do something. 

So you and Din had sat down at the small table in the hull. It was welded to the floor, and barely tall enough for two kneeling people to fit at it. 

„We need to set them a trap.“ you stated. Din stared at you. You sighed, listing all the information you had found out during this cat-and-mouse chase. 

„We figured out it's some ex-Admiral named Hyko who’s leading the chase. He’s primarily in the outer rim with his star destroyer. It’s simple! Take him out, and the chase is over, boom.“ Your fist collided with the palm of your other hand. Din only stared. 

„Sometimes I wonder how you fit so much into your head.“ he said softly. „I wouldn’t have thought of that.“

You smirked. Your wounds had healed by now, and you felt like you could rip out trees. Din pulled up his holomap. 

„I know someone on Nevarro who could help us. And the planet is right in Hyko‘s operating radius.“ 

You smiled. „Am I finally meeting Greef and Cara?“ 

Din sighed. „Yes.“

During the last months you had grown a lot closer to Din. Ever since his decision to let go of the Creed, he had slowly become more and more comfortable around you. The small touched, brushing of his hand and nicknames meant the world to you. 

You had told him he had all the time in the world and didn’t have to label his feelings, and you were not gonna tell him otherwise. Still, deep down you longed for clarity. He acted like you were his partner, but never had he really kissed you. Never had he said that he loves you, never had he defined your relationship. You really wanted to know. 

As you pulled out of Hyperspace above Nevarro, you both exhaled in relief. No imperial troops or starfighters were to be seen. You landed at the gates of a city, and two people seemed to be waiting for you. 

Din had mentioned Greef Karga and Cara Dune briefly, when he talked about his past. By the tone of his voice you were able to tell that he considered them dear friends. 

Karga welcomed you with a smile and a laugh. He radiated a warm energy, but you knew he had a dark past too. Everyone here had one. „Welcome, you two!“ Karga cheered and Mando shook his hand. 

Meanwhile Cara had enveloped you in a bone-crushing hug. „Nice to finally meet you!“ she said, and you smiled. „Likewise!“ 

The three of you went to a local inn. Karga ordered drinks for everyone, and you all sat down in a table nook. Cara and you talked about her past adventures with Din. 

„…and then somehow IG-11 had managed to patch him up, and they appeared behind us…“ You listened intently, not wanting to miss any new information about your Din.

Said Din and Karga seemed to be talking about the plan. Him and Cara had agreed to help right away, and you were so very glad about that. It was not gonna be easy.

The short version of the plan was to send a transmission to Hyko‘s ship, Cara had found out his coordinates. You’d lure him here, and he would, sure of his victory, step outside his ship and you could take him out. Easy as that. 

You did need to wait until his ship was a bit closer to the planet which could take a few days, and you could only hope he’d fall for it and would not bring an entire army of stormtroopers. But the basics of your plan made sense to everyone, so it was used. 

Karga ordered another round of drinks. While the first one had been some kind of beer in a big mug, this time it was small shot glasses filled with bright orange liquid. Thoughtfully, Cara had brought a straw for Din when she had picked the tray up from the counter. 

„Cheers!“ she shouted, and everyone downed their shot. Din‘s straw produced a hilarious slurping noise that had you laughing tears. You were having the time of your life, snuggled into Din inside the small nook. 

„So, you two…“ Karga slurred a few hours later. „You dating or what?“ Cara punched your shoulder. „Yeaah, are you?“ 

You froze up and looked at Din. His helmet was stoic as always. 

„Something like that.“ he rasped, the anxiety clear in his voice. You admired how he did his best to show his trust in these two people. You cleared your throat.

„We choose not to label ourselves.“ You explained, and Cara whooped. „So you are!“ 

Din chose not to comment, and Karga changed the topic to some old story from his days in the bounty hunter guild. When you looked up, Cara winked knowingly at you. You blushed, and looked away. Why did Din not want to admit his feelings for you? You knew they were there, clear as day. What was he scared of? 

„It’s late.“ Din suddenly said, grabbing your arm and pulling you to your feet. „We have a lot to do tomorrow, let’s go to sleep.“ With that he dragged you away from Karga and Cara, the latter making wide eyes before giving you a thumbs up and a suggestive smirk. What?

Din led you back to the Crest, and closed the ramp behind you. Suddenly it was only the two of you. The hull seemed very small.

He stepped closer to you. Your head spun, the alcohol in your system making it hard to focus. Din kept slowly closing in on you, and instinctively you backed up, until the wall hit your back. 

„Din?“ you asked softly, worried if something was wrong. Had you done something wrong?

He took off his helmet, discarding it quickly and tossing it into the darkness. You gasped. His brown eyes seemed even darker than usual, something heavy weighing on them. His face looked oddly flushed. As did yours, probably. 

„Do you have any idea how good you look?“ Din choked out, his breath fanning over your face. He smelled faintly like the orange drinks. Tasty. 

You shook your head, looking up at him. He groaned. The noise sent heat to your lower stomach. 

„You just sitting there with your face red like that… your eyes like that…“ he rambled, his hands coming up to rest on the wall, caging you in. You felt your heart beat at a probably dangerously fast rate. You stared into his eyes, unable to move like a prey animal when faced with a predator. 

Suddenly his mouth was on your neck. You yelped as he softly bit into the skin, sucking and pulling at it. He was probably leaving a bruise. You whimpered softly, and he pulled away, his pupils blown wide. 

„If you- want me to stop...say so. Now.“ Din gasped, eyes hungrily scanning your face. You felt dizzy, and the spot on your neck was tingling pleasantly. Very softly you shook your head. 

Din was back on you in an instant. „Fuck, pretty girl-“ he gasped against your skin, sending shivers down your spine. „Looked so pretty...couldn’t help myself…“ 

You whined as he pulled at your skin, and a squeal told him he found the sensitive spot where your neck and shoulder met. He dug his teeth into it, almost breaking the skin. The noise you made was obscene. He wanted you to make it again and again.

You felt yourself getting wet, embarrassed at how quickly he got you to this point. Din had not even touched you anywhere and you were dripping and moaning. He laughed, a deep rumble. 

„Are you feeling it this much, too?“ Din groaned, pressing himself up against you. You gasped when you felt his length under his pants, digging into your hip. You’ve had your suspicions, and he has surpassed them all, as usual. 

Din moaned again, rutting against you. „Fuck, Cyar’ika-“ The beskar of his chestplate was digging into you uncomfortably, almost reminding you of the walls in Aren’s bedroom-

Harsh cold flooded you. Suddenly Din moving against you seemed distant, as your mind found itself back with Aren all those years ago. You felt tears prick at your eyes, threatening to spill. You just had to submit, and it would hurt less. Just submit, just-

„Cyar’ika?“ 

The panicked call brought you back to reality. Din was shaking you, frantically calling your name. You slumped forward and cried in his arms. 

„Did I hurt you? What’s wrong?“ Din asked, worry lacing his words. You shook your head, scared he’d push you away. What would he want from you, if you couldn’t give him the simplest things, like this?

A thud startled you. Din had slammed his fist against the wall. „That bastard-“ he pressed out. Oh, had you spoken out loud again? 

„I will never push you away.“ Din reassured you, gently holding you against him. „Nobody will hurt you, ever again.“ 

You held on tight. 

„I, your chestplate...reminded me of the w-wall...back at-“ 

Din shushed you. „Got it, Cyar’ika. No armor the next time.“ He paused for a second. „If you ever want a next time.“ 

Your worries from earlier returned. „I want to know what I am to you. Are we partners? Dating? Lovers?“ A sigh escaped your lips. 

Din looked off into the distance. „In Mando‘a we don’t really have words for what I’m feeling. I’ve been trying to figure out one that feels right for us for weeks now. I cannot answer you yet, but know that you’re the most important person in the galaxy for me.“ 

You knew the good intent behind his words was genuine. „Please find one soon.“

Your Mandalorian looked at you, the heat in his eyes from earlier replaced with a warmth you could get lost in. 

„I’ll give you my answer by the time Admiral Hyko is dead.“ 

You figured giving him those probably like three days more was fair. „Thank you.“ You nodded, yawning softly. The alcohol and the trauma had done a good job at tiring you out. 

You barely made it to your bunk before passing out cold, snoring softly. You didn’t notice Din giving you a kiss on the forehead before he slipped out of the room. You also didn’t hear his hushed confession.

~~~~

The next morning you wasted no time. After a quick breakfast you and Din headed into town. Karga and Cara were waiting for you in Cara‘s office, and they had prepared to record a holo message of Din taunting the former Admiral. 

Din positioned himself in front of the camera and said his lines.

_„I heard you’re looking for me. Can’t believe you still didn’t catch me. I’m right under your nose, on Nevarro, and nobody came. If I were you I’d hurry here before I leave again. Looking forward, ex-Admiral Hyko.“_

You clapped your hands together. „That Hyko is supposed to be a terribly proud man. He will bite.“ 

Cara nudged you. „Just like Mando did?“ 

Your hand flew to your neck in shock. You had completely forgotten about the probably very red and purple bite mark. 

„Don’t worry.“ the strong lady smiled at you. „It doesn’t matter to me, or Greef. We’re both just happy he’s not completely alone in that ship anymore.“ You smiled back at her, happy that Din had good friends like her and Karga. 

The rest of the day passed by without anything much happening. Cara showed you around the city. Din said that this town used to be a slum, but Cara had worked hard to make it a peaceful place to live. Your admiration for her only grew. 

When evening came, you returned to the office and sent out the message. It reached the ship, and Cara confirmed it had been watched. She left the connection up for a few more seconds before cutting. 

„They will be here by morning.“ she said, ushering you and Din outside. Karga had rallied his remaining loyal men, all former bounty hunters. They all had been assigned hidden posts on the roofs and in the streets, and when Hyko would step off his ship a rain of blaster fire would come upon him. 

You would be standing at the entrance to the city, luring him in further if that plan didn’t work for some reason. You’d lead him straight into an ambush by Cara and Din. He wouldn’t stand a chance against their combined strength. 

Suddenly a loud noise startled you, a low rumble. You held onto Din’s hand. 

And then, with a deafening thunder a spaceship came out of hyperspace right above the town. The impact knocked you down, the pressure of the wind it caused letting you tumble across the street. „On your posts!“ someone yelled. You back collided painfully with a crate. Din had disappeared.

You got to your feet and ran towards the city gates. The star destroyer hovered in the air. It lowered gradually. Something was off, Cara had said they were at least 3 hours away! 

The ship stayed roughly two meters above ground. A hatch opened in the side facing the city. 

To your horror, stormtroopers started pouring out of the ship. Man after man jumped off the ship, some invisible force easing their impact. You stood frozen as the first of Karga‘s men started firing. Hyko was nowhere to be seen. You doubted he was even on that ship.

After at least a few hundred stormtroopers were inbetween you and the ship, something else came out of the hatch. Pitch black, humanoid droids. You remembered them from Cara‘s tales.

You turned around, and ran.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooop-


	8. The Battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW attempted sexual abuse (right before the end of chapter)

Blaster fire broke loose around you. The stormtroopers started firing at everything that moved, civilians and bounty hunters alike. 

You sprinted into the city, screaming for the people to hide. Somewhere in the middle of the road you bumped into Greef Karga. He tossed you a blaster, which you caught with fumbling hands. 

„They have Dark Troopers.“ he growled, the panic apparent in his voice. „Three of them. This is bad, kid.“ 

You gulped, and readied your weapon. „Isn’t three not very much compared to the horde of stormtroopers?“ You asked, and Karga laughed darkly.

„Dark Troopers are different. A single one is as effective as a hundred regular stormies.“ Fuck, you thought, it was really, really bad. 

The stormtroopers poured through the city gates. You dodged behind a barrel, and fired at them, not really needing to aim due to their numbers. Countless troopers dropped dead. 

Karga was firing from the other side of the road. „Where is Hyko?“ he yelled across to you, and you shrugged helplessly. 

„I don’t think he’s on this ship!“ You shouted back, looking around for Din. You hadn’t seen him since the ship had breached the atmosphere. Suddenly Cara jumped out from an alleyway and ducked behind the barrel next to you. 

„Mando is at the ambush point, in case the Admiral does show up.“ she gasped, a bruise forming on her temple. „Find him, quick! He doesn’t know there’s Dark Troopers here!“ 

You nodded, and sprinted into the alleyway Cara had come out of. Suddenly a stormtrooper appeared in front of you. You raised your blaster. 

„Stop right there!“ you yelled, aiming at his head. Maybe you could reason with him. 

The man hesitated. He didn’t raise his blaster at you, probably deciding if it was worth the try. Good. „I don’t want to hurt you. Or anyone, really.“ you continued, trying to read his body language. 

„I just want to get to...my family. Please let me pass and I won’t shoot.“

Technically the truth. 

The trooper slowly nodded, raising his hands and blaster over his head. Still aiming at him, you slowly walked past him, expecting an attack any moment. 

It didn’t come. Still facing the man, you walked away, and with a soft „Thank you.“, you whirled around and ducked into a different street. He didn’t shoot after you. 

The next two stormtroopers fired on sight. You killed them both.

You rounded another corner, jumped over a dead body -don’t look, oh gosh, don’t look- and suddenly you saw him. 

Din was fighting three stormtroopers at once, violently lashing out at them. In one hand he held a knife, in the other one his blaster. Even more bodies in the white trooper armor littered the street corner. You shot one of the three troopers in the back of the head, killing him instantly. 

Din whipped his body around, and spotted you. He quickly took down the remaining two men and rushed towards you, gathering you into his arms. You didn’t have time for this, you hated it. „They have Dark Troopers, Din!“ you breathed against his shoulder. He stiffened. „Fuck.“ 

You laughed coarsely. „That’s what Greef said too.“ 

„I took down one of them once. It almost did the same to me. Sheer luck.“ Din cursed again. „I don’t know what to do, Cyar’ika.“ 

You sniffled. „Me neither, Din….wait. Do the Dark Troopers have a weak spot?“ 

The bounty hunter thought for a second. „Underneath their heads. Why?“

Your brain was working harder than ever before. „If someone were to shoot right into that spot, would that kill them?“ 

Din nodded, unsure what your train of thought was. You beamed up at him. 

„The maintenance hatches on Main Street, did you see them? They have this metal grid above them that is big enough for a blaster bolt. If someone were to shoot at the Droids weak spot from below, in there, they would kill them!“ 

Din stared at you. „Little genius Bounty, you are our savior.“ 

You fought through the stormtroopers coming at you and reunited with Greef and Cara. They agreed to hide in the hatch with Din and take out the droids. You had the more unpleasant part of the plan. You’d lead the three Dark Troopers to them. 

The trio immediately claimed down into the hatch. 

You didn’t even have time to kiss Din one more time. You’d come to regret this. 

Stumbling back to your initial spot at the city gates was harder than you had anticipated, but you did it, stopping in plain sight for your enemy. 

You took aim. 

The three black droids were standing in front of the city gates with their backs turned to you, overseeing the surviving and injured stormtroopers returning to the ship. Din had mentioned they’d try to get them out of the way before attacking themselves. You wondered for a second if the man you had spared was among them. 

No time for thinking. 

You fired three quick shots. They ricocheted off the black helmets, one of them hitting a stormtrooper in the calf. Only two of your bolts hit, but it was enough to alert the three droids to your presence. The black metal humanoids turned, and started moving towards you at rapid speed. You turned on your heel and ran into the city. 

You almost didn’t make it. You stumbling over a dead person allowed the Dark Troopers to get dangerously close to you, their blaster fire almost hitting you. They were much better shots than the regular troopers. A bolt scraped your arm. You saw the metal grid hatch in front of you and lunged over it. 

Rapid blaster fire broke loose. Dust filled the air, as soon as you had landed in the dirt on the other side of the hatch the trio in waiting had fired wildly. You heard the unmistakable rattling and clanking of metal hitting the ground. Twice.

Then suddenly, a black hand reached out of the dust. 

You screamed. The hand grabbed you by the collar and the Dark Trooper burst out of the dust, having missed the hatch by walking to the right by inches. The frenzied blaster shots didn’t reach his vulnerable spot.

A metal arm hooked around your torso, and to your horror the droid rose into the air, a jetpack activating. The star killer had risen into the air too, hovering above the city. The remaining stormtroopers were screaming in the streets, left behind by a fallen empire that didn’t care about them. You almost felt sorry for them. 

The harsh winds drove tears into your eyes, and you let them flow. The droid transported you towards his ship, your limbs weakly flailing in an attempt to fight back. You were taken through an opening in the hull, and it closed behind you. 

~~~~

The dark trooper was approached by two stormtroopers who shackled you and led you away from the droid, which was seemingly shutting down on the wall of the room you had landed in. 

You were ushered through long corridors, the two men at your sides not saying a word. At least Din was safe, you told yourself. The last droid wouldn’t come after him. Quiet tears rolled down your scraped and dirty face. 

This ship was huge, you noted. Doors and corridors as far as you could look. Occasionally a group of stormtroopers was walking around somewhere, but otherwise it was quiet and empty. 

You wondered where they were leading you. Do imps have prisons on their ships? Torture rooms? You swallowed roughly. What did they sand with you?

You stopped at a big door, and one of the troopers opened it with a handprint sensor. 

You realized they had led you to the bridge. 

A tall and lanky man stood at the center, framed by the stars outside. You could see the small form of Nevarro in the distance. No hyperspace? 

The man turned around, and you gasped audibly. 

The troopers led you inside. There were more of them inside, and one of them moved slightly at the sight of you, seemingly taken aback. You didn't have the time to wonder why, because the tall man in the black uniform was right in front of you now. 

You growled. „Former Admiral Hyko.“

Hyko had a slim face, he almost looked sickly. His ginger hair awfully reminded you of Aren, and his victorious smirk did too. This was a man who was used to being in power. 

„Hello, little one.“ he drawled, his voice reminding you of sanding paper. „I see my men….or should I say my droid….did a fine job with capturing one of the two targets. How delightful.“ 

You stared at him defiantly. 

„I couldn’t be happier, my darling.“ the man continued. „I am sure your Mandalorian will try to, haha, rescue you. You’re gonna bring him right into my hands.“ 

He stepped closer to you. The stormtroopers had your hands bound behind your back, and held you by the upper arms. They had forgotten your legs. 

Your foot collided with Hyko‘s shin. The small moment of wide eyed pain on the man's pale face was enough to outweigh the consequences. Or so you thought. 

Hyko slapped you across the face. „Whore!“ he spat, repeating the action. This time it hurt a lot more. The former Admiral grabbed your chin. „Listen here.“ You pulled at his iron grip.

„I’m only keeping you alive here because I want to slowly tear you apart before the eyes of your Mandalorian. Do you understand?“ 

You averted your eyes, and Hyko shook your head roughly with his gloved hand. „Do you understand?“ he yelled. 

„Yes-“ you choked out, the pain making you tear up again. The man smiled sickly sweet. It made your stomach turn. Hyko turned to the troopers holding you in place.

„Take her to cell block B. Make sure she stays alive, but otherwise than that…“ he turned towards you with malice in his eyes. „...she’s all yours.“

You screamed and kicked as the stormtroopers dragged you away from the bridge. 

~~~~

They tossed you into a cell. 

Every evening a stormtrooper would slide a tray with food through a hatch in your door, and refill your water jug. It was usually stale bread and maybe some vegetables, but sometimes even a piece of fruit. It looked like leftovers from the troopers’ own food. One time, there had been a note with your food. I’m sorry the scribbled text had said. You had laughed at that. I’m sorry. For what? You threw it into the toilet. 

Your cell was surprisingly humane, with a small nook that hid the toilet from the security cameras. That did little to make you more positive, though. 

The days passed slowly, you only knew day and night were happening because of the light outside your cell door switching on and off. They’d go off shortly after your dinnertime, and back on long hours later. 

Sometimes a trooper would come into your cell to check on you. Those were the worst days. Suggestive glances, lingering hands and inappropriate comments brought you to tears every time. One trooper had laughed at you as you broke down with a panic attack, continuously touching your chest over your clothes. You prayed every time they wouldn’t take them off.

Today, three of them came. 

You knew something was wrong immediately. Three stormtroopers entered your cell. You backed up against the wall. „Hey little girl.“ one of them sang, sauntering closer to you. 

„What do you want?“ you asked carefully, scanning them for weapons. They had none, but due to their sheer mass they could easily overpower you. 

„You.“ The man came even closer. You mentally cursed. There was nothing you could do. „The Admiral said you’re getting too comfortable here. We’re supposed to change that.“ 

He suddenly lurched forward and pressed you against the wall with his body. You screamed, trying to push him off. His two companions grabbed your arms and held them down. The first trooper pushed himself against you, and to your absolute disgust and horror you felt him growing hard. 

„...teach you….a lesson…“ The man groaned, grabbing your hair and forcing your head against the wall. He started fiddling with the strings of your top. „Please, no-“ you wailed as it came off, your pleas falling on deaf ears. One of the other two troopers covered your mouth with his hand, while reaching into his pants.

You closed your eyes. Tears streamed down your cheeks, and you did something you hadn’t done in a long time. You zoned out, blocking the outside world like you had learned to do in Aren’s mansion. The real world grew distant. Your thoughts wandered to Din. You hoped he would move on. 

You hardly registered the troopers anymore. 

Just submit. It will be easier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm almost done, I only have one more chapter to write!


	9. The Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW sexual assault (very first paragraph)

A deafening noise made you snap back to reality. 

The three stormtroopers stopped their actions. The noise repeated itself, this time shaking the whole ship. You were laying on the floor of your cell, caged in by the three men. The middle trooper who had seemingly just gotten himself ready and positioned for the main act looked up at you, confused anger speaking from his contorted face. „What are-“

A blaster bolt struck him in the back and he collapsed on top of you. The two others dropped dead beside him, red bolts taking them down. Slowly you looked up.

You stared at a fourth trooper. The newcomer took his helmet off, revealing a surprisingly kind, almost gentle face filled with worry. His hair was a shade of blond you had never seen before, almost looking white. You deemed him not much older than you. „Get dressed!“ he shouted, looking around repeatedly. „Your bounty hunter is here.“ 

You didn’t understand anything anymore. Din was here? Why was that trooper saving you? The man had turned to the doors, keeping his back to you. You decided not to push your luck and pulled your clothes back on. You only needed seconds. „I'm done." you stated, and stared at the man. „But...who are you?" you asked carefully. 

The trooper looked back at you. „You spared my life back on Nevarro. I owe you one.“ 

You suddenly realized. „You’re the trooper from- from that alley!“ 

The man laughed. „Yes, that’s me. JD-836‘s my number. Call me JD.“ 

You told him your name, and he handed you a blaster. „Your Mando is here on the ship. Let’s find him before Hyko does, yeah?“ 

JD led you through the prison block. It seemed like you were the only one that had been kept here. 

Troops of JD‘s colleagues trampled through the ship, and you quietly followed them, staying hidden in the shadows. Suddenly JD stopped you. 

„Hey, when we find the Mando...can you make sure he doesn’t kill me?“ he asked, a worried crease appearing on his forehead. You thought for a second, then you smiled. „Of course. But maybe you should hide first when we find him. In case he fires before he thinks.“ 

The blond man nodded, and you continued on. You rounded a corner and suddenly you recognized the area. You were close to the bridge. You turned to tell JD, but the spot besides you was empty. JD was nowhere to be found. You turned around, and then spotted him. 

Din was standing with his back to you, unmistakable with his beskar armor reflecting the red alarm lights. You let out a sharp yell, he turned around, and seconds later you were in his arms. 

He held you close, like he was afraid you’d turn into thin air if he let you go. „Cyar’ika...Cyar’ika…“ he whispered hoarsely, rocking you back and forth. You laughed through your tears. „Thank fuck you’re here, D-, Mando, I’m so glad you’re here.“ 

The Mandalorian pushed you away and held you at arms length, surveying your body. He noticed the fresh bruises and scrapes peeking out from underneath your clothes quickly. His voice turned to venom. „Did they…“ 

You looked down, the memories creeping back up. „Almost…“ you breathed, shuddering at the memory of you on that cell floor. „I was saved before they could go all the way, though. They're dead.“ 

Din tilted his helmet to the left, he was barely containing his fury. „Saved?“ You nodded. „Yeah. Don’t hurt him, he’s on our side. Come out, JD!“ 

The stormtrooper came out from behind a pillar. Din tensed at the sight, but as he saw JD‘s blaster sheathed and his hands raised he relaxed again. JD introduced himself and told Din of the events in the alley. 

After he finished his story, Din nodded. „If she trusts you, I will. What is your price?“

JD shook his head, laughing. „I don’t need credits, or other riches. All I want is to leave this wretched place behind, start a new life. I couldn’t watch any longer. See, I was on surveillance camera duty. I’d be eternally thankful if you gave me a chance to leave this ship with you.“ 

After a long moment Din agreed. 

You looked up at him. „What do we do now? If we just run away we will never find peace.“ Din solemnly nodded. „You’re right. Hyko needs to die.“ 

„I’ll help gladly.“ JD said, stepping into your field of view. „That man is a Monster, I’ve seen so much suffering at his hands I wish I could forget.“ 

„Thank you, JD.“ You felt real relief at the thought of another weapon more on your team. „What about the Dark Trooper?“ you suddenly asked, having remembered the damn thing. 

Din groaned. „I’ll take him on if Hyko wakes him. You two kill the humans.“ 

JD and you looked at each other, simultaneously deciding that it is indeed your best shot at surviving. 

„Let’s go.“ Din said, and you all moved towards the bridge door at the end of the corridor. 

When you reached the doors, JD placed his hand on the scanner and they slid open. Two figures stood waiting for you. Hyko was grinning widely, and slightly behind him and to his left stood the remaining Dark Trooper. 

„Welcome!“ Hyko bellowed, and suddenly everyone was moving. The Dark Trooper launched at you, but Din intercepted it and the pair disappeared to the side. Meanwhile JD started shooting at Hyko, who suddenly had a force shield on his wrist and skillfully blocked the blasts. 

You shot too, but most of your bolts didn’t even hit the shield. Suddenly Hyko charged at JD and body slammed the man across the room. JD didn’t get up. Your eyes flew to Din, who was fighting the droid in close combat. 

This small moment of inattentiveness had given the Admiral the time he needed. Suddenly the man pulled you to the floor, kneeling above you. His hands closed around your throat, and he pushed. „Here, Trooper.“ Hyko said, and you tilted your head in the direction he looked too. 

The Dark Trooper had overpowered Din. The Mandalorian was stuck in a chokehold, gasping and cursing. The Trooper turned them towards Hyko. 

„Mandalorian, I want you to watch. Watch as I slowly press the life out of your little whore.“ The man laughed hysterically and his hands closed down on your throat more and more. You felt light headed, losing your focus as he restricted your airflow. Din screamed somewhere in the distance. 

You noticed a movement from the corner of your eye. 

Suddenly Hyko was gone. 

JD had woken up and fired a well placed shot. He had aimed for Din, his beskar arm protector to be exact. The bolt had bounced off the metal and precisely hit the Dark Trooper underneath his chin. Din had ripped the Admiral off of you before the black droid had even hit the floor. 

Din smashed the man into the metal floor, and Hyko’s head exploded. 

Blood and brains splattered everywhere. Din turned around to see JD helping you up into a sitting position, holding you carefully while you gasped for air. The bloodied bounty hunter rushed to your side. 

„I‘m- fine-“ you rasped, your throat feeling like someone had stuck a blade in there. Din and JD helped you up. „Let’s get out of here.“ Din grumbled.

He quickly walked over to the console and flicked a switch. A loudspeaker system flickered to life. 

_„Your Admiral is dead. All we want now is to leave. You can let us leave peacefully, and we won’t harm you. Anyone that gets in our way will be killed. You can do whatever with this ship when we’re gone. I hope you’re smart.“_

Din returned to his place on your right side. He looked at JD who was glad to share your weight with the bounty hunter again. „Let’s hope more of them are as smart as you. Blaster ready.“ 

JD held his weapon up, and slowly you made your way towards the hangar where Din had landed the Crest, pretending to be a merchant to be allowed in the landing bay.

You walked past closed doors, and at one point you recognized the now empty loading bay for the Dark Trooper. Even JD shivered by your side when you walked past it. 

The former stormtrooper had to shoot down two more men on your way there. Fools who thought the old days of the empire could return, and they would be rewarded then for staying loyal. The others seemed to have heeded Din’s warning and stayed in their rooms.

You almost sobbed when you saw the Razor Crest. JD held you upright while Din quickly opened the ramp and then all of you were inside and the ramp closed and oh gosh you were safe. 

Slowly your throat started feeling normal again, breathing didn’t hurt anymore. You gave JD a nod and he let you stand on your own. Din walked over after securing the ramp for takeoff. „Cyar’ika, come with me, you stay here. Hold on tight somewhere, we’re making the jump as soon as we can.“ 

Your Mandalorian helped you up the ladder and into the cockpit. From the corner of your eye you saw JD clinging to the table leg and had to suppress a giggle, despite the seriousness of the situation.

Din sat you down in the co-pilot chair and started the engine. He was forcing himself to stay focused, you knew it. As the old ship rumbled to life, he sat down and not even a minute later you were out of the imperial ship and in hyperspace.

As soon as you were safe, the beskar helmet dropped onto the floor. You rose to your feet almost simultaneously. Din turned and hugged you, for a long minute, before pulling back and holding your face in his hands. Raw emotion shone from his eyes, everything at once. 

„I thought I had lost you…“ he whispered, his voice broken and raw. You smiled gently. 

„I’m here.“ 

Suddenly his lips were on yours. 

You didn’t know who had leaned in first, but now you were kissing Din and it felt like the most natural thing in the world. His lips were gently, almost too gently moving against yours, and you kissed him back just as carefully. I’m here, you thought. And I’m never leaving again. 

Din pulled back to look at you. A thousand things happened in his mind, but he couldn’t voice any of them, not right now. All he could do was stare at you, hold you, make sure he was never losing you again. You stared into each other’s eyes, not needing words at this moment. 

Steps on the ladder alerted you. Din quickly grabbed his helmet and slipped it back on. JD stuck his head through the ladder opening. 

„Can I ask where we are headed?“ the blond man asked almost bashfully, he very much could sense that he had interrupted something important. 

Din motioned for him to come up the ladder. „Nevarro.“ he replied, looking JD up and down. The man had shed his layer of white armor, left in his black underclothes and boots. 

„Sorry, I just wanted to get out of that junk and forget all of it.“ JD mumbled, and sat down in the third, usually empty chair. Din tilted his helmet to the right. A smile. 

„I can understand that.“ he said. You were glad he was not hostile towards the former stormtrooper. 

He turned back to you. 

„We’re over Nevarro soon. They didn’t make it far. Hold on.“

Didn’t make it far? The time of your capture had been days, hadn’t it? JD seemed to sense your confusion. „Going in circles. So that your Mando would find you soon.“ You nodded in understanding. Your Mando. 

Din extended his arm, and held you in place during the rough exit from hyperspace.

You had never been more happy to see a planet underneath you in your life. 

Once you had landed, Greef and Cara had welcomed you back in a flurry of hugs and, from Cara‘s side, an abundance of cheek kisses. You had only known them for a day but their love and affection made you happy. 

They also welcomed JD and immediately offered him a security guard position for the city. He was more than happy to accept, under the condition that his past would be forgotten by everyone. While you understood his reasoning, the fact that he had been a stormtrooper before saving you made him even more special in your eyes. 

You suddenly felt very weak on your legs, and leaned against Din. He caught you and immediately understood. He excused the two of you and took you back to the Crest. You barely managed to get out of your bloody clothes and into fresh ones, and then you were in your bunk. 

You fell asleep before your head even hit the pillows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost done! I'll likely finish writing the last chapter today, and completely upload this fic tomorrow!


	10. The Lovers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SMUT in this chapter!

The next day was a blur. 

Well, mostly because you slept. Until afternoon. Din didn’t leave your side in all of those hours. You drifted in and out of sleep, faintly noticing that the Mandalorian had supposedly contacted Luke Skywalker, probably to let him know that the threat was eliminated. 

Greef and Cara had visited too, you had been asleep at the time though. You only woke up properly when the sun had already started to set. 

Din sat at the side of your bunk, his helmeted head resting on your stomach. 

You raised your hand and softly shook him. Your arm felt like it was made of beskar, so very heavy, and it made you tired. 

Din's head snapped up like someone had shot him. 

He looked around wildly for some seconds before he found your eyes, and let out a huff of relief. 

"Cyar'ika." he breathed. With the now already familiar hissing noise he removed his helmet, and now you could also see the relief written on his face. 

You laughed weakly. "I'm here, Din. Not going anywhere." Every new word spoken was easier, your body adjusting to functioning normally again. You hadn't been worn out much physically, but the imprisonment had exhausted you mentally. 

The Mandalorian shushed you. He gently held your face between his huge hands. "Don't strain yourself, my sweet girl. You're rightfully tired." 

You laughed and shook your head. "I'm feeling better-" Ow. The head shaking hadn't been too good. Din pointedly looked at you, one eyebrow raised. You sighed. 

"You're right, as usual." you said, nuzzling your cheeks against his hands. Din made a soft noise at that. "You're so beautiful." he whispered, making your cheeks flush with heat. 

Slowly he leaned in, and pressed a soft kiss to your lips. You kissed him back with an eagerness a person can only know after they've been kidnapped and rescued. Din groaned against your mouth, causing you to whine in response. 

"Fuck-" you gasped when you pulled away, before surging back to kiss Din more. Noone would take this away from you ever again. His hands found his way under the hem of your shirt, when a noise alerted you. 

"Din!" You said hurriedly, "You're getting a transmission!" The Mandalorian grumbled, not wanting to stop kissing you, but stomped over to the door. Not even a minute later he returned, grabbing his helmet from the floor and slipping it back on. 

"We've got company." he explained, and you stiffened.   
"No, don't worry!" Din laughed. He opened the door to reveal a smiling Luke Skywalker, with a babbling Grogu on his arm. 

You gasped, happiness flooding your body. You had missed both of them. Luke stepped next to your bunk and placed the wriggling child in your arms. Grogu cooed happily, grasping at your face. 

"Little womp rat!" You laughed. "I missed you, my little rascal." 

You hurriedly looked up at Luke. "You too, of course. Is the Academy safe again?" 

The Jedi nodded. "We've been erased from all imperial screens, thanks to you. Hyko's ship was the key, and the stormtroopers you left on it have destroyed all imperial save files when they rebooted the systems." 

"That's relieving." you breathed. Everything seemed to be fine again, and you relished in the feeling of not having to worry every second anymore. 

Luke invited you to the Academy, and you and Din accepted happily. It was the perfect planet to recover from the whole ordeal for a few weeks. Plus, the Jedi had laughed, Grogu would be beyond happy. Especially if you would come over regularly. 

Healing wasn't easy. You woke up night after night sweating and shouting, the images of the three stormtroopers engraved into your mind. But Din was there every time, holding you and rocking you back and forth, all while peppering your face in soft kisses. That made it bearable. 

One day, Din had taken you to a beautiful meadow only second in beauty to Naboo. The planet was more beautiful than you had anticipated. You and him sat against the Crest and looked at the blue sky above. 

"I have the answer." 

You looked over at Din, whose lazily hooded eyes stared deep into your soul. 

"What ans- Oh. That answer." You suddenly realized. _„I’ll give you my answer by the time Admiral Hyko is dead.“_ Suddenly your throat felt very dry. 

Din faced you, his face speaking volumes about his nervousness. Still, there was an unbelievable warmth to his features. 

"There is not really a word for love in Mando'a. We tend to say _Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum._ It roughly means _I know you more than anyone else does._ "

You nodded slowly, trying to follow. 

"I didn't feel like that covers my feelings for you. I decided on… _ner ka'rta._ "

"What does that mean?" you whispered, leaning in closer to Din. He smiled warmly. 

"It means my heart, or my soul. I guess you could translate it with...soulmate?" His face was bright red. "I know that sounds very cheesy-" 

You threw yourself at him, hugging Din around the neck. "I love you!" you gasped, overwhelmed by your emotions for the Mandalorian. You had never said it before, but deep down you knew it had always been true.

Din laughed, hugging you back and kissing you. "I...love you too. And it doesn't make me weak." You giggled. 

"If anything, it's the opposite. I've never seen a more fierce protector than you, in the entire galaxy." Din smiled at your words. "This is _my_ way." he stated, staring into the distance. 

Lightly punching his arm, you smiled at him. "In my eyes, it doesn't make you any less of a Mandalorian." The man returned the smirk. "That's what counts." 

Din kissed you again, and your movements started to get more and more heated. You whined against his lips, grasping at the pauldrons of his armor. 

Slowly you undressed each other. This was different from anything you had ever experienced. Din was careful, removing your clothes while worshipping every inch of your body that he could reach. His hands roamed all over your body, making you squirm underneath him. 

His lips found your neck, and he sucked a gentle bruise into the soft skin. Your neck was incredibly sensitive, and the action made you whine loudly. 

"Fuck, you're so hot." Din grumbled against your skin. You moaned in response as he bit down in the same spot as before, and then moved down your body. Your breath hitched as his lips closed around one of your nipples, sucking gently. 

You sighed his name, and he moved back up to face you. Simultaneously you noticed his hand sneaking lower, past the hem of your underwear. Din left it resting directly above your core, leaving you lightly bucking your hips upwards. 

"May I?" 

Din's eyes were equally mischievous and worried, but most of all warm. He didn't just ask out of courtesy, but out of genuine caring. A different heat flooded you, flushing you all over. You really were in love with this sweet, loving man. 

"Yes." you replied, yelping as Din immediately touched you. He started rubbing small circles right above your clit, giving you exactly the amount of pleasure to have you moving against him, moaning and whimpering. 

"Din-" you called his name, and he kissed you hard.Your teeth clashed slightly but it didn't matter. All that mattered was how close you were to him. And how close your were to-

Suddenly white flooded your vision, and you came all over Din's hand with a loud, feral moan. The Mandalorian was surprised, but kept moving his hand as you rode it out. 

"Cyar'ika...that was so hot." he rumbled, slowly kissing you back to your senses. You made unintelligible noises against his lips, and suddenly you noticed that something hard and warm was resting against your leg. 

Din hissed as you rubbed against him, skin bare on bare. He unwillingly rutted against your thigh, and you moaned at the sheer sight of him. Din's dick was huge, equally well equipped with length and girth. You couldn't even imagine how he'd feel inside you, and suddenly that was all you wanted now. 

You reached down and started lazily jerking him off, causing Din to curse loudly and hold onto you. "F-, Cyar'ika, you, ah, you don't have to-" 

You gasped against his shoulder. "I want you." Din shuddered, but shook his head. "Don't force...yourself, oh fuck, I don't wanna make you have a flasback-" You squeezed him softly, and he groaned, unable to finish his sentence. 

"I want you, right here and now. I'm ready, Din. Fuck me." you said, the pace of your hand faster now. "I know you'll be gentle." 

Din grumbled something, his words barely understandable for you. "Can't jus- say something like that- ugh." He swung his leg across your body, straddling you. Din started rubbing himself against your core, sending hot flashes of want through your entire being. 

You thrashed around underneath him, trying to get more friction. "Diiiin-" He lined himself up with your entrance, but when you urged him to push inside he stilled. Pure teasing spoke from his face. 

"May I?" 

You groaned, wrapped your legs around his lower back and pushed him inside you. The noise Din made was downright filthy. His dick was only about halfway inside you, but both of you were overwhelmed with the sensation. 

You needed a minute to adjust to his size, and Din waited patiently, only the slight shaking of his arms betraying how little he could control himself. Then, slowly, he pushed in further until he was fully sheathed inside you. 

"Cyar'ika...." Din moaned, and your hips jerked almost by command. Suddenly the spell was broken, and he started pulling out and pushing back inside. Din was fucking you slowly, drawing out the movements as long as he could. You had never felt anything like this. 

"Fuck!" you gasped, just as Din said "You feel so good-". The two of you were moving in sync, kissing and sucking at each other's skin. Suddenly Din picked up a different rhythm, faster and needier. You whimpered against him, letting your lover, your heart and soul, fuck you on a meadow besides the Razor Crest. 

You were talking absentmindedly, the pleasure making it difficult to think. Suddenly Din's hips stuttered, and his dick started twitching inside you wildly. He came inside you with a loud moan and a curse, the sensation pushing you over the edge again. 

Minutes later you were able to form a coherent sentence again. 

Din was breathing heavily. "Did you say that...on purpose?" You tilted your head. "Say what?" 

He smiled lazily. "So you didn't. You… called me Cyar'ika, sweet girl." 

A blush crept up your cheeks. "Shit, did I?" Din laughed softly. "Made me climax." You gasped. "No way!" 

The two of you stayed like that for hours, half naked and cuddled up by the side of the Crest. 

Only when the air started getting colder you both pulled your clothes back on and flew back to the Academy to have dinner with Luke and Grogu, who was more than eager to share his new advancement with the Force by levitating a spoon across the table when you asked if someone could hand it to you. 

You and Din slept next to each other every night. You had forgotten to count the weeks you had spent here now, and a feeling told you Din had too. Every time you asked him when he wanted to take off for a job, he just shrugged it off. 

So you stayed. 

And stayed. 

Luke loved your company. He had found two more force sensitive kids in the last weeks, a pair of Twi'lek twin girls called Shay and Maril. With three toddlers running around the Academy, the Jedi had his hands more than full. He was very grateful when you offered your help with taking care of the bunch. 

To the surprise of everyone, Din agreed to help teach the kids in some basic self defense and he loved it. You were so relieved that Din, while keeping his helmet on around the academy, had finally dropped the act of uncaringness. It was obvious to everyone that the former bounty hunter enjoyed this job more than any hunt he'd ever been on. 

One evening you, Din and Luke sat around a campfire with the kids already asleep. 

You were leaning against Din, who had taken his helmet off. Luke had seen his face a few weeks after you had started living with him, and Din was comfortable around the Jedi Knight. 

You were roasting a strip of dried meat over the fire, watching the red color turn into a crispy brown. Luke cleared his throat. 

"So you're staying?" 

Both you and Din knew what he meant. Staying, permanently. The unspoken word floated in the air. You would have said yes in a heartbeat, but you also knew that Din valued his freedom. You didn't want to decide for him. 

The Mandalorian sighed, but there was a mischievous look you'd grown very fond of sparkling in his eyes. Your heart soared. 

"What, you thought I'd leave you with the whole bunch of kids all alone? You would go down, day one." Din grinned lopsidedly, and you squealed with joy. "You want to stay?" 

Din nodded, and interlaced his fingers with yours. 

"There's no place I'd rather be than here beside you, _ner ka'rta_." 

~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is it folks! Thank you for coming along for the ride, I genuinely enjoyed every comment and kudos, you all made my days a lot less dreary. See you soon! <33


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